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Overview of US Federal research on use of tire crumbs
Citation:
Guiseppi-Elie, A., K. Thomas, AND J. Zambrana. Overview of US Federal research on use of tire crumbs. 2018 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo, San Diego, CA, November 10 - 14, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Recently, parents, athletes, schools, and communities have raised concerns about potential health risks from playing on synthetic turf fields containing recycled tire crumb rubber. To date, studies have not shown a consistent elevated risk from playing on these fields, but these studies have limitations and do not comprehensively evaluate human health risks from exposure to recycled tire crumb rubber. To help address concerns raised by the public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), launched a multi-agency research effort. This effort focused on understanding potential human exposure to chemicals in recycled tire crumb rubber used in synthetic fields, which included characterizing the chemicals in recycled tire crumb rubber and identifying the ways in which people may be exposed to these chemicals based on their activities on synthetic turf fields. The information and results from these activities represent the largest study conducted in the United States to fill specific data gaps about the potential for human exposure to chemicals constituents found in recycled tire crumb rubber infill material. Overall, we anticipate that the results from this multi-agency research effort will be useful to the public and interested stakeholders for understanding the potential for human exposure to chemicals of potential interest and concern found in recycled tire crumb rubber in synthetic turf fields.
Description:
This presentation will provide a broad overview of the U.S. Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds. This coordinated federal study included research to fill important data and knowledge gaps, characterize constituents of recycled tire crumb rubber, and improve our understanding of exposures in which people may be exposed based on their activities on playing fields and playgrounds. An update on the study outcomes will be provided. Additionally, information about other collaborations on this topic will be briefly highlighted.
