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Scientists and residents urge ban on tire‑derived infill in playgrounds and fields
Summary
Supporters of House Bill 1040 told the joint committee that crumb rubber and tire‑derived infill used in synthetic turf and playgrounds leaches toxic chemicals including 6PPD‑quinone into soil and stormwater; they urged a ban and cited local studies and detection of tire‑related chemicals near fields.
Scientists, municipal advocates and residents urged the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to advance House Bill 1040, which would ban use of tire‑derived materials in playgrounds and athletic fields.
Tracy Stewart, a Medway resident who petitioned for the bill, characterized tire‑derived infill as a product of the scrap‑tire industry's search for disposal options and said communities are now paying for "waste, toxins, and pollutions in the name of falsely marketed sustainable recyclable solutions." She told the committee that crumb rubber infill is moved out of state or incinerated when fields are replaced and that the materials shed into storm drains and waterways.
Zhenyue (Zhen Yu) Tian, an environmental chemist and assistant professor at Northeastern University, described lab and field studies detecting tire‑related chemicals in water and soil near artificial turf fields and related a discovery that linked a tire additive transformation product to fish kills in the Pacific Northwest. "We found it at high concentration, and we also detected chemical and a lot of other tire related chemical in the water and soil contents near the field," Tian said, and urged the committee to apply the precautionary principle.
An environmental scientist on the Arlington conservation commission said tire‑derived materials are not adequately regulated once tires are ground and used as infill, and she highlighted 6PPD‑quinone as "extremely toxic to aquatic organisms" with an EPA freshwater toxicity guideline cited by witnesses.
Supporters pointed to communities that have moratoria or bans on crumb rubber or synthetic turf, and urged lawmakers to favor natural‑grass or organic infills where practicable. Opponents were not prominent in the panel but the committee heard questions about alternatives, groundwater impacts and the need for additional chemical study.
The committee heard no vote; proponents said they would file additional written materials and scientific data for the record.
