Artificial Turf — Lead and Zinc in Crumb Rubber and Synthetic Grass Fiber Infill — outdoor safety profile
Moderate riskArtificial turf athletic fields and residential lawns contain heavy metals in both the synthetic grass fibers and the crumb rubber infill layer.
What is this product?
Artificial turf athletic fields and residential lawns contain heavy metals in both the synthetic grass fibers and the crumb rubber infill layer. Lead-containing pigments (lead chromate for green and yellow coloring) have been detected in older synthetic turf fibers at concentrations of 300-5,000 ppm — well above the EPA hazard standard of 400 ppm for bare soil in play areas. Zinc from tire vulcanization is present in crumb rubber infill at concentrations of 5,000-20,000 ppm, with documented leaching into stormwater and underlying soil. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) tested 52 synthetic turf fields in California (2008) and found lead above hazard standards in 15% of fields, leading to a statewide advisory. Newer turf systems use lead-free pigments and alternative infill materials, but legacy fields installed before 2008 remain in use across thousands of schools and parks. Children are the primary at-risk population: crawling, rolling, and hand-to-mouth behavior on artificial turf creates direct ingestion and dermal exposure pathways for lead and zinc-contaminated dust and granules.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Pigment Contaminant
Vulcanization Residue
Frequently asked questions
No FAQs generated.
Look up Artificial Turf — Lead and Zinc in Crumb Rubber and Synthetic Grass Fiber Infill in the outdoor app
Search by ingredient, browse by category, or compare to alternatives in the live app.
Open in outdoor View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →