From: Robert Lederman <[log in to unmask]>
A prime example of the Park Commissioner's public safety initiatives;
they are all hot air.
This is why he needs so much money; to remove anything natural (artists,
grass,
people) and replace them with artificial crap owned by
corporations.
Chelsea Now
Hot footing it: The heat is on artificial turf
BY BONNIE
ROSENSTOCK
[log in to unmask]" width=500 height=375 alt="[]">
Chelsea Park, 2pm. Turf temp, around 117. In green: Zach Rosenblatt;
middle, Evan Cohen; right, Ervin Schonfeld (father of a player). Photos
by Bonnie Rosenstock
Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 11:31 AM CDT
Lead, heat and wear, tear and maintenance relating to artificial turf
were the subjects of our March 23 article (“City parks: Paradise, paved
over, hazardous to health?”). This follow-up focuses primarily on the
heat factor. With an indoor/outdoor thermometer at the ready, Chelsea Now
visited the three local athletic fields previously highlighted to take
the temperature of the artificial turf.
As reported in the March article, Geoffrey Croft (head of the watchdog
group, NYC Park Advocates) took, before noon, temperature readings at a
dozen New York City parks in July 2010. Artificial turf fields measured
over 170 degrees — the highest temperature recorded in his three years of
monitoring. By 9:15am, the temperature had already risen to over 140
degrees. “Young children are particularly susceptible, as it can take
only two seconds to burn on solid surfaces greater than 140 degrees,
according to doctors,” said Croft.
In 2009, the City Council passed legislation mandating the presence of
warning signs on artificial turf fields. The posted sign warns about
“potential heat-related risks involving synthetic turf, including
overheating and dehydration…if you experience symptoms of heat-related
illness, such as dizziness, weakness, headache, vomiting or muscle
cramps, move to a shaded area. Drink water, rest, and seek medical
attention if you do not feel better.”
The NYC Health Department says people can suffer dehydration, heatstroke
and thermal burns at field temperatures above 115 degrees….” Croft added,
“which can lead to death.”
Rick Doyle, president of the Synthetic Turf Council, admitted he didn’t
think “anyone in our industry would suggest it’s a good idea to play on a
surface that’s that hot.” Speaking to NPR on August 7, 2008, he added,
“Just as coaches have to reschedule games due to rain when they play on
grass fields, so too they need to reschedule or consider an alternative
surface to play on when it’s sunny.”
Chelsea Park, West 27th Street and 10th Avenue
The 50,000-square-foot renovated field opened this May at a cost of
around $2 million. Philip Abramson, a spokesperson for the NYC Department
of Parks and Recreation, wrote in an email, “The project provided for the
replacement of the existing synthetic turf [knitted nylon carpet, no
infill] with new [polyethelene fiber tufted, with coated sand] infill
that will accommodate softball and football, an improved drainage system,
new ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessible dugouts and drinking
fountains, a bike rack and a misting station.”
Saturday, July 30, 2pm. Air temperature: In the upper 90s, on one of
those stifling heat wave days. Turf temperature: At least 120 degrees
(the highest our thermometer could register). In that heat, a friendly
softball game took place between two teams composed of Stuyvesant High
School graduates and their friends. The group formed in 2008 after they
had graduated from different universities. Zach Rosenblatt said about the
field, “It’s nicer now for our purposes. We don’t need much, only soft,
green ground and a fence. Jordan Epstein added, “It drains better than
real grass, which puddles up. We wouldn’t be able to play on it after a
rain.”
But all players affirmed that the turf is much hotter than natural grass.
“And it hurts like hell to slide on it — rug burn,” added Rosenblatt, so
they try to avoid it. Billy Maughan felt the pain as he instinctively
slid into base, as competitive softball and baseball players are inclined
to do in the heat of the moment (as are soccer players when they try to
kick the ball out from under an opponent and slide). The players on the
field and those on the bench cried out in unison, “Oh, no,” cognizant of
what would result. The stoic Maughan, wearing shorts, had huge red welts
on a knee and thigh. “I should have slid on my shirt,” he
quipped.
When I asked Abramson about rug burn he replied, “It would have been
experienced at the old Chelsea park field, constructed with knitted nylon
carpet. Nylon is a desirable fiber because it is twice as durable as the
softer, less abrasive polyethelene fibers. That is why it lasted 12
years. However, the athletes prefer the polyethelene fibers, which is
what we recently installed at Chelsea Park.”
Although the Park’s sign bans the use of metal cleats, some players are
still not aware of it (while others ignore it). Pro athletes, who took to
calling baseball “the game of turf,” complained that sometimes the hot
stuff caused the metal spikes to burn their feet or plastic ones to melt.
In 2007, Sports Illustrated reported that six Peruvian soccer players
suffered foot burns from playing on hot turf.
Chelsea Waterside Park Athletic Field, West 23rd Street between 11th and
12th Streets
Chelsea Waterside Park is managed by the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT).
The synthetic field was installed in December 2010 at a cost of $279,000,
plus an additional $876,159 for the perimeter fence. HRPT spokesperson,
David Katz, vice president of marketing and events, stated back in March,
“The field was replaced due to the conditions of the turf, which was
ripped up, had holes in it and had to be patched with duct tape instead
of turf.” The former field had lasted approximately 12 years.
In a recent email responding to our query about the heat factor, Katz
replied, “Since the field opened, it has been heavily used with normal
athletic permit holders and special events…we have not heard of one
incident or complaint regarding the temperature of the fields since our
last communication.”
Saturday, July 30, 3pm. Air temperature: Still in the upper 90s, the
intense rays beating down on the open field. Turf temperature: Around 115
degrees. There were only a few heat-immune people, including Peter
Klosowicz; his son, Harry, 9; and friend Josh, 10. The boys, who play in
a competitive Little League, were practicing hitting and pitching. To
Chelsea Now’s query about the new field, Klosowicz père replied, “After a
rain, it’s easy to use because it doesn’t stay wet like grass. The
disadvantage, he said, is “when it’s hot, it’s hot, and there is no
shade. But it’s a vast improvement over before.”
Amanda Hendry of the West Village, who was kicking around a soccer ball
with two friends, added, “It’s well maintained, but it’s not as nice as a
perfectly maintained lawn. But it’s better than the old Astroturf. When I
fell I could get cut up.”
James J. Walker Park, bounded by St. Luke’s Place, Carmine, Clarkson and
Hudson Streets
Sunday, July 31, 3pm. Air temperature (thermometer set upon an orange
traffic cone): Almost 90 degrees. Turf temperature: Close to maximum.
Blue cement bleachers: 96 degrees.
Abramson said (in his email) that the black crumbs at Chelsea Waterside
and J.J. Walker are derived from automobile tires. “They were at one time
considered a fine use of recycled material. Parks no longer specifies
tire derived black crumb rubber in our turf orders.”
What Abramson didn’t mention was that “for ten years, the city put down
this surface without doing a single test,” said Croft. Patrick Arden, in
his article on the dangers of artificial turf, wrote, “Several credible
studies had found the crumb rubber contains known human carcinogens and
neurotoxic chemicals, as well as lead, chromium and arsenic” (City Limits
magazine, “Was New York City’s Shift to Artificial Grass a
300-Million-Dollar Mistake? A Risky Play,” September 2010). Through the
Freedom of Information Act, Arden ascertained that a group of doctors at
Mt. Sinai Hospital identified several “proven and potential” hazards of
synthetic turf made from recycled tires: “excessive heat,” with field
temperatures reaching as high as 172 degrees; MRSA, the
antibiotic-resistant staph infection that can be acquired through “turf
burns;” and chemical exposures.
The Astroturf-style carpet at Chelsea Park and the crumb rubber infill
turf at J.J. Walker were both cited for elevated lead levels. The five
dust samples taken at Chelsea Park, worn out from years of heavy use,
exceeded EPA safety standards for lead, which is 100 ppm (part per
million). In January 2009, J.J. Walker tested at 240 ppm. The $1.6
million reconstruction project for the decade-old turf field is in design
and will mostly likely be in construction in spring 2012 — more than
three and a half years after the high lead reading. Now, the field is
uneven: there are areas of green, areas where the black crumbs
predominate and sections that are sandy. On July 23, there was a large
muddy brown puddle on one side of the field. Abramson of the new field
said, “It will be polyethelene fiber tufted carpet with Flexsand coated
infill, and will have a beautiful and consistent texture.”
According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website’s
“Fact Sheet on Synthetic Turf Used in Athletic Fields and Play Areas,”
the city is now using “carpet-style or alternative infill materials on
all new fields, and implementing protocols to inspect, test and replace
any existing synthetic turf fields that may age or deteriorate.” They are
“using strict purchasing protocols to select the best synthetic turf
products and requiring suppliers to provide information on chemical
content, heating absorbency properties, environmental factors and health
and safety issues.”
“We forced the city to stop using recycled tires,” said Croft. “City
Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is chair of the Parks and
Recreation Committee, introduced a few bills that really helped. It was a
first step. Up to then, Adrian Benepe [the Parks Commissioner] made fun
of it.”
In an August 10 phone interview, Viverito stated that in the fall she and
Council Member Jimmy Van Braymer will introduce legislation to ban the
use of artificial turf in passive areas; Van Braymer’s district is in
Queens, where he learned that the Parks Department is planning to do just
that.
“I am sure part of the reason is maintenance related, but to me that is
not a solution,” said Viverito, “and I don’t buy it half the time.” She
pointed out that in the “vast parks system” less than .03 percent goes to
parks. “If it is the intent to have a park where people can hang out,
when the turf can reach past 130 degrees, this is not a good idea. It is
counterproductive to what a passive space is. You want to encourage
people to come into the park, not turn them away.”
She said that the legislation two years ago mandated the Parks signs,
“especially for young kids to keep their shoes on so they don’t get
burned.” Jenna Mastellone, 12, who was hanging out at J.J. Walker Park
with her twin sister, Nicole, after softball practice on July 23,
observed one step further, “If I don’t have the right shoes on, it goes
through me.”
Viverito declared, “We will continue to put pressure on this
administration to do the right thing. It has worked sometimes. Other
times they have put their heels to the ground and are
resistant.”