According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, artificial fields that have come under scrutiny lately because of high lead levels found in the turf fibers, are safe for children to play on.
The only guideline the department issued is for young children to wash their hands after playing and before eating.
Swipe tests the CPSC conducted to determine the danger of lead ingestion during field use revealed safe lead levels. According to a CPSC press release, "the staff considered in the evaluation that particles on a child’s hand transferred to his/her mouth would be the most likely route of exposure and determined young children would not be at risk."
These findings can now be added to the assurance of previous tests conducted at Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest and Old Tappan’s fields, where high levels of lead had been detected in turf fibers. Subsequent examinations of the fields revealed safe levels of lead in both the soil under the fields and the field dust, indicating they are less of a potential health hazard than originally thought.
Despite these reports, however, the district has had its fields closed since the lead was detected in June and is discussing whether or not to re-open them with health experts, the district attorney and the fields’ manufacturer, FieldTurf Tarkett.
Currently the state has issued guidelines for safe field use, which include washing the field before using it; aggressive hand, body and clothing washing of individuals who use the field; and not permitting eating or drinking at the fields.
However, many parents whose children use the fields regularly want them to be opened and do not think they pose a health hazard.
Mike Argenziano, a physician whose six children in the district use the fields, said he is not concerned about their safety.
"As a physician I am well aware of the effects lead and other toxins have in the development of children. Having some understanding of the toxicology issues … anything that is present in the environment would require a significant amount of exposure both in quantity and duration of time [to be damaging]," he said.
He said he trusts that the "appropriate government agency has determined it does not meet the criteria for significant danger."
He thinks the situation should be used as an example of how the community should be proactive in determining the safety of decisions it makes.
"Now the fields are down [with] millions of taxpayers’ dollars and of course no one will argue prospectively we’d prefer to use fields without lead," said Argenziano.
Tom McVey, a Closter resident with two sons who play football, said once the testing came out determining the low levels of lead in the field dust, his initial concern was alleviated.
"I’m a little disgusted the school hasn’t lifted the ban on using it. I would hope that the school board, in seeing the consumer report saying the levels are safe … they will open or release the ban on using the field," he said.
Donna Kelly, another Closter resident who has a child entering the high school in September, said she was never concerned with the issue.
"I have kids who play on the fields and I think we come into contact with so many things all day, how much time is their face shoved into the ground? Probably never."
She said she even signed a petition in favor of reopening the fields that another parent sent to her.
"I feel if we are given the option to let our children play or not let them I would let them play on the fields as they were."
Superintendent Jan Furman said the district is awaiting the latest swipe tests that were taken July 30 to ensure there are still safe levels of lead in the field dust. She expects the results within a week and said a decision should be made about what to do with the fields by Aug. 8.
Furman said she has reached out to both the State Department of Health and the district’s Board of Education officials, all of whom are reviewing the commission’s report.
