Report linking field surface to cancer elicits Mt. Lebanon protest
The grass on the baseball fields along Cedar Blvd. in Mount Lebanon is removed for the installation of artificial turf on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014.
Google+ Staff Reporter
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, 10:25 p.m.Updated 30 minutes ago
Construction on Mt. Lebanon's controversial $1.05 million artificial turf project began Thursday, but residents concerned about possible health and environmental effects are not giving up.
Contractors started to tear up grass on a pair of overlapping baseball diamonds in Mt. Lebanon's Main Park soon after the state Department of Environmental Protection and Allegheny County Conservation District granted the municipality a storm water discharge permit.
Mt. Lebanon Manager Steve Feller said Massillon, Ohio-based Vasco Sports Contractors could finish the project before winter sets in, despite delays of more than two months from the planned Aug. 1 start date.
A residents' group known as Mt. Lebanon Advocates for Child Health has scheduled a protest at 11 a.m. Sunday in the park, and hopes to get the municipal commission to delay or change the project.
“I'm against the turf because of the health risks,” said resident Susy Tybl, who plans to attend the protest. “The materials... contain a lot of toxins, including known carcinogens. I just wish Mt. Lebanon would wait until more is known.”
An NBC News report this month highlighted more than 30 soccer players, mostly goalies, who contracted cancer after playing extensively on artificial turf, leading them to question whether there was a link.
The report highlighted the back and forth over the topic: Environmental groups point to toxins such as benzene, lead or zinc in ground-up tire rubber used to cushion and fill in fields, while turf advocates produce studies that say those materials are locked in or aren't released in high enough quantities to affect health.
“Now with the NBC news about goalies, I'm more convinced than ever that Lebo needs to hold off on artificial turf,” said resident Dean Spahr, who originally opposed the project because he preferred grass, but became more concerned about health questions.
Jeff Heiskell, who lives near the field, said he and his wife were reconsidering having children because of their proximity to the field and their worry over whether it could affect her pregnancy.
Commission President Kristen Linfante said she and the commission knew about the goalie issue, from prior news reports, before awarding the contract in July, but felt it was outweighed by studies that said turf was safe.
“Each of us did our due diligence, and the overwhelming evidence of safety has made us feel more than confident with the decision we've made,” she said, noting artificial turf is at the high school stadium and similar material is used in local playgrounds.
Proposals for the Main Park fields included an alternative, organic infill made from ground coconut shells and cork, but contractors' bids for that option came back too high.
Dave Franklin, a coach and member of the sports advisory board that pushed for the project, said the board made its recommendation to move ahead with turf based on “the totality of the circumstances.” The board compared studies, and weighed them against the desire to create a more durable field to squeeze in more playing time and whether other institutions were choosing turf or natural grass for their fields.
“I certainly respect (the opponents') position,” he said. “Parents weigh risks for their kids every day: I don't let my kids play on trampolines; I don't let my kids swim in a pool without a lifeguard.”
In approving the storm water permit, the DEP echoed the commission majority and the EPA when it wrote that studies couldn't conclusively point to health risks from turf, though the EPA and other state and federal agencies also have said more research was needed to draw broad conclusions.
DEP approval, spokesman John Poister said, was based on whether the application met the state's regulations for runoff, which it did after Gateway Engineers modified plans for the drainage system. No one had appealed DEP's decision to the state's environmental hearing board as of this week, he said.
“The whole process was very disappointing to me,” said Elaine Gillen, who runs the Lebo Citizens blog, and said she thought government agencies would “do the right thing.”
Matthew Santoni is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5625 or msantoni@tribweb.com.
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| Stephanie Strasburg | Trib Total Media |
Report linking field surface to cancer elicits Mt. Lebanon protest
By Matthew SantoniGoogle+ Staff Reporter
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, 10:25 p.m.Updated 30 minutes ago
Construction on Mt. Lebanon's controversial $1.05 million artificial turf project began Thursday, but residents concerned about possible health and environmental effects are not giving up.
Contractors started to tear up grass on a pair of overlapping baseball diamonds in Mt. Lebanon's Main Park soon after the state Department of Environmental Protection and Allegheny County Conservation District granted the municipality a storm water discharge permit.
Mt. Lebanon Manager Steve Feller said Massillon, Ohio-based Vasco Sports Contractors could finish the project before winter sets in, despite delays of more than two months from the planned Aug. 1 start date.
A residents' group known as Mt. Lebanon Advocates for Child Health has scheduled a protest at 11 a.m. Sunday in the park, and hopes to get the municipal commission to delay or change the project.
“I'm against the turf because of the health risks,” said resident Susy Tybl, who plans to attend the protest. “The materials... contain a lot of toxins, including known carcinogens. I just wish Mt. Lebanon would wait until more is known.”
An NBC News report this month highlighted more than 30 soccer players, mostly goalies, who contracted cancer after playing extensively on artificial turf, leading them to question whether there was a link.
The report highlighted the back and forth over the topic: Environmental groups point to toxins such as benzene, lead or zinc in ground-up tire rubber used to cushion and fill in fields, while turf advocates produce studies that say those materials are locked in or aren't released in high enough quantities to affect health.
“Now with the NBC news about goalies, I'm more convinced than ever that Lebo needs to hold off on artificial turf,” said resident Dean Spahr, who originally opposed the project because he preferred grass, but became more concerned about health questions.
Jeff Heiskell, who lives near the field, said he and his wife were reconsidering having children because of their proximity to the field and their worry over whether it could affect her pregnancy.
Commission President Kristen Linfante said she and the commission knew about the goalie issue, from prior news reports, before awarding the contract in July, but felt it was outweighed by studies that said turf was safe.
“Each of us did our due diligence, and the overwhelming evidence of safety has made us feel more than confident with the decision we've made,” she said, noting artificial turf is at the high school stadium and similar material is used in local playgrounds.
Proposals for the Main Park fields included an alternative, organic infill made from ground coconut shells and cork, but contractors' bids for that option came back too high.
Dave Franklin, a coach and member of the sports advisory board that pushed for the project, said the board made its recommendation to move ahead with turf based on “the totality of the circumstances.” The board compared studies, and weighed them against the desire to create a more durable field to squeeze in more playing time and whether other institutions were choosing turf or natural grass for their fields.
“I certainly respect (the opponents') position,” he said. “Parents weigh risks for their kids every day: I don't let my kids play on trampolines; I don't let my kids swim in a pool without a lifeguard.”
In approving the storm water permit, the DEP echoed the commission majority and the EPA when it wrote that studies couldn't conclusively point to health risks from turf, though the EPA and other state and federal agencies also have said more research was needed to draw broad conclusions.
DEP approval, spokesman John Poister said, was based on whether the application met the state's regulations for runoff, which it did after Gateway Engineers modified plans for the drainage system. No one had appealed DEP's decision to the state's environmental hearing board as of this week, he said.
“The whole process was very disappointing to me,” said Elaine Gillen, who runs the Lebo Citizens blog, and said she thought government agencies would “do the right thing.”
Matthew Santoni is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5625 or msantoni@tribweb.com.