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The Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Synthetic Turf Playing Fields and Playgrounds: tire crumb rubber characterization and exposure study recruitment strategy and questionnaires
Citation:
Benson, K., A. Grober, E. Irvin-Barnwell, A. Ragin, K. Thomas, M. Morgan, AND C. Croghan. The Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Synthetic Turf Playing Fields and Playgrounds: tire crumb rubber characterization and exposure study recruitment strategy and questionnaires. Presented at ISES-ISEE 2018, Ottawa, CANADA, August 26 - 30, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Tire crumb rubber from recycled tires is widely used as infill material in the 12,000+ synthetic turf fields in the United States. Tire crumb rubber is a complex material, with many potential chemical substances, presenting challenges for assessing human exposures. As part of U.S. Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields, tire crumb rubber characterization and exposure characterization studies were performed to improve our understanding and knowledge for assessing synthetic field user exposures. Tire recycling plants and synthetic turf fields were recruited to participate in the research study, and questionnaires were administered to field owners or managers to better understand how fields are used and maintained. The Federal Research will be of interest to synthetic turf field users, communities and schools, and industry stakeholders.
Description:
The U.S. “Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds” is a multi-agency collaborative effort with several research activities. CDC/ATSDR and EPA conducted a tire crumb characterization study and a pilot-scale exposure characterization study. The tire crumb characterization study aimed to analyze tire crumb rubber for a variety of chemicals and to characterize field use patterns and maintenance procedures using a structured questionnaire. The objective of the exposure characterization study was to characterize human activity for synthetic field users and measure exposure to chemicals during activities at synthetic turf fields. For the tire crumb characterization study, a convenience sampling approach was used for recruitment of potential fields. A total of 306 community field owners/managers were contacted for potential participation, and sample collection was completed at 40 synthetic turf fields, including 21 community fields and 19 military installation fields. A questionnaire was administered to each field/facility owner/manager to gather information about their synthetic turf field facilities, field users, operations, and maintenance. For the exposure characterization study, participant recruitment was conducted at three fields (two outdoor and one indoor) that were included in the tire crumb characterization study. In-person recruitment was conducted Monday through Thursday immediately prior to, during, and after field activities. The study included 31 participants who responded once to the questionnaire and provided information about their frequency, duration, and types of activities at athletic fields, as well as information about hygiene, and other potential exposure information. This presentation will describe recruitment efforts for both studies and information about field/facility operations and maintenance that could affect potential exposures.
URLs/Downloads:
The Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Synthetic Turf Playing Fields (PDF, NA pp, 182 KB, about PDF)https://isesisee2018.org/
