Ridgewood residents urge halt to artificial turf over PFAS concerns; council says village using different fill and will seek PFAS‑friendly options
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Summary
Multiple residents testified at the Jan. 8 workshop that artificial turf and its infill expose children to PFAS and other toxins; council members and staff said the village is not using crumb rubber, is working with vendors to find lower‑PFAS products, and will continue meetings with opponents and experts.
Three Ridgewood residents used the council’s public‑comment period Wednesday to press elected officials to rethink plans for artificial turf at village fields, citing PFAS (so‑called forever chemicals), microplastics and heat‑island effects.
Cynthia O’Keefe, a Ridgewood resident who has been a frequent speaker on the topic, told the council "If we're still talking about turf, we're not green," and urged elected officials to explain how recommendations about turf square with the village’s environmental goals. She also said she had read two EPA reports and would continue to press the issue until she received answers.
Jillian Krugman, a Ridgewood High School alum and environmental‑studies student, told the council that many artificial turf fields use crumb‑rubber infill made from recycled tires and cited studies and reports (dating back to the 2000s) that found chemical contaminants in crumb rubber. "Athletes report burns from the heated rubber," she said, and warned of heat‑island effects and emissions when turf surfaces become hot.
Amy McCambridge, a Ridgewood resident, veteran and local soccer trainer, told the council she was alarmed that Ridgewood has three artificial fields containing PFAS and called the situation a public‑health issue. "These chemicals don't disappear," she said, and urged officials to act to protect children.
Council members and staff responded during the meeting with a mix of technical and procedural replies. One council member said the village contracts use a different turf vendor than the Board of Education and that the village has not planned to use crumb‑rubber infill; the council member also said the village is meeting with vendors to identify lower‑PFAS or PFAS‑friendly products and had physical samples available for review. That speaker added that some of the scientific literature cited by speakers had been followed up on by staff but that not all outside experts had returned outreach.
Another council member referenced a recent EPA review and said the agency’s work compared exposures for turf players to the general population and, in those comparisons, did not find an increase in detectable biomarkers; that member said the EPA’s language characterizes the exposure as comparable to background and noted international agencies had reached similar conclusions in the same body of literature.
Why it matters: The turf debate joins long‑running local concerns about field availability, tree removal and the environmental footprint of active‑use parks. Speakers framed the issue as one of children’s health and environmental stewardship; council members framed it as a balance between public‑health data, field availability and ongoing maintenance costs.
What’s next: Council members asked speakers to send research and to meet with staff. No formal votes were taken at the workshop on any turf project; the council indicated the issue will return for further staff review and that members remain divided.
