Residents press council on artificial turf risks, urge fuller review of studies

Several residents used the public-comment period at the July 2 Ridgewood Village Council meeting to press elected officials for more scrutiny of plans to install artificial turf on borough fields, saying some scientific sources cited in favor of turf do not address modern turf materials and that heat and chemical risks merit further evaluation.

"Frank, you mentioned 13 websites with different studies, and you said that was the basis that you used to, come to the conclusion that turf, in your opinion, is safe," Ridgewood resident Cynthia O'Keefe said, adding that "of the 13, 3 had nothing to do with artificial turf" and pointing the council to EPA, CDC and NJDEP material she said was more cautious.

Why it matters: Residents argued that public-safety, environmental and equity concerns should be resolved before approving major field conversions. Speakers cited possible lead release from weathered fields, PFAS (per-…