(BCN) — Santa Clara County is getting ready to ban synthetic turf on all county-owned property, citing well being and environmental considerations. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will vote on a coverage limiting the usage of synthetic turf at its Tuesday assembly. The motion might end in an outright ban or embrace an exception for athletic fields.
Board President Otto Lee gathered with environmental and well being advocates Friday to debate why the ban is important to forestall well being points from microplastics and scale back contaminants from getting into the water provide.
“I really appreciate those engineers who are working to try to make a plastic that is less toxic and harmful,” Lee stated. “But in the end, this is still plastic. It’s a crude oil byproduct.”
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Supervisors started learning banning synthetic turf in April 2024. On the time, Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and former Supervisor Cindy Chavez voiced considerations about whether or not a ban would possibly have an effect on ongoing negotiations with county land leaseholders who’ve synthetic turf on their properties or are planning to put in it on the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
There is no such thing as a synthetic turf in county-operated parks, however a number of native cities have it put in of their parks, together with San Jose and Sunnyvale. Some cities have been reevaluating their use of synthetic turf. Palo Alto’s Finance Committee halted plans to interchange a garden close to the Menlo Park border with synthetic turf.
Dad and mom and advocates lobbied the Sunnyvale Metropolis Council to not set up a synthetic turf subject in the course of the Lakewood Park renovations, and town is learning a possible ban. A county web site cites experiences that hyperlink plastics present in synthetic turf to long-lasting well being considerations, similar to most cancers.
Synthetic turf fields create warmth islands by attracting and retaining extra warmth, placing customers liable to heat-related sicknesses. A 2023 state legislation shuts down synthetic turf fields at excessive temperatures and highlights well being problems with a gaggle of artificial, doubtlessly dangerous chemical substances referred to as PFAS discovered within the turf.
The Santa Clara County Medical Affiliation helps the ban and has despatched a number of letters advocating in opposition to the set up of synthetic turf fields to the Sunnyvale Metropolis Council, Fremont Union Excessive Faculty District and Saratoga Excessive Faculty board. Dr. Fahd Khan, president of the Santa Clara County Medical Affiliation, spoke about these and different medical risks, together with a better threat of harm for athletes taking part in on synthetic turf fields.
“Athletes deserve to play on surfaces that support their performance and prioritize their safety,” Khan stated.
Native athletic teams have opposed these bans and supported synthetic turf fields, saying they’re extra dependable and last more than pure grass fields. Grass fields additionally cannot be used throughout wet climate, limiting play time.
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A number of representatives from the substitute turf business have opposed the ban. Artificial Turf Council President Melanie Taylor despatched a letter to county supervisors Friday outlining the constructive impacts of synthetic turf, similar to business improvements to extend the recyclability of plastic and rubber used within the fields. She additionally cited different research displaying synthetic fields preserve water and improve accessibility to fields due to the turf’s sturdiness in comparison with pure grass.
“Synthetic turf provides environmental benefits, increased access, and cost savings to communities across the country,” Taylor’s letter reads. “Motions to ban synthetic turf hinder communities’ ability to access these benefits should be reconsidered.”
Representatives from native sports activities organizations beforehand informed San Jose Highlight they like pure grass fields if effectively maintained. Cortney Jansen, Neighborhood For Pure Play Surfaces member and Sunnyvale resident, stated she’s glad to see the ban transfer ahead and hopes this pushes native governments to take a position extra in sustaining their pure grass fields.
“Ideally, we don’t even have sports people who are saying they want artificial turf because … we have provided everyone in our community with the well-maintained sustainable grass fields,” Jansen informed San Jose Highlight.
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