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Town staff review 2024 synthetic‑turf tests; zinc flagged and arsenic measurement questioned
Summary
Needham staff reviewed 2024 testing of synthetic turf at town fields; one zinc sample exceeded a DEP threshold and the lab used a more sensitive method for arsenic that complicated year‑to‑year comparisons. Board asked staff to request repeat testing with consistent methods and consider more frequent sampling.
Town environmental staff presented the 2024 synthetic‑turf testing reports for Needham fields, noting metal concentrations mostly consistent with 2023 but flagging a higher zinc reading at Memorial Field and an arsenic measurement complicated by a lab method change.
Tara (environmental staff) summarized results: semi‑volatile and volatile organic compound levels were consistent or lower than 2023; metal concentrations were mostly consistent but two analytes—zinc and arsenic—showed increases in the 2024 report. She said the laboratory told town staff that equipment availability affected which analytical method was used for arsenic testing in 2024; the lab used a more sensitive method (described in the meeting as the “6‑10” method) because the facility’s usual instrument (the “6‑20” method) was unavailable, and that could explain the year‑to‑year change.
Tara told the board that the lab’s written interpretation said the measured levels do not pose a public‑health risk. Board members asked for clarification. One member noted a report line stating one zinc concentration exceeded a MassDEP threshold and asked for the actual numeric result and follow‑up guidance; Tara said she would request retesting using the same protocol used in prior years and ask the lab to provide clearer documentation of the methods and the health‑risk rationale.
Board members also discussed sampling protocol. Tara said the lab typically collects three grab samples (end, center, end) and combines them; members asked whether additional sampling locations would give a better picture of the field. Several board members recommended repeating the arsenic analysis using the consistent method when the lab’s preferred instrument is available and considering annual or next‑year zinc re‑sampling to track any trend.
Staff noted the synthetic fields are midway through an expected life span and are usually replaced on roughly a 10‑year cycle; testing had been on a roughly two‑year schedule. No immediate public‑health action was recommended at the meeting; the board asked staff to secure a clearer method explanation from the lab and to consider additional sampling.
Ending: Staff will ask the lab to re‑run the arsenic analysis with the standard method when feasible, report the numeric concentrations for zinc and arsenic, and propose a resampling schedule; the board requested documentation of the lab’s rationale that current levels pose no public‑health risk.
