To the editor:

If you support student-athletes, the environment, and the responsible use of taxpayer money, then vote NO to artificial turf. 

In November, Barrington taxpayers will decide whether to use artificial turf on our sports fields. The Town Council is split on this issue. In June 2024, RI enacted the Consumer PFAS Ban Act which bans the use of PFAS products (artificial turf) beginning in Jan. 2029. The artificial turf industry was granted a 5-year grace period, but why should we ignore the warnings of this ban and install artificial turf now? 

If Barrington installs artificial turf now, we won’t be able to replace it at the end of the turf’s useful life (about 10 years) since by then the ban will already be in place. Barrington should not be supporting this product to the detriment of its children and environment. 

In February the Barrington Conservation Committee voted against the installation of artificial turf fields, noting “its long-standing objection to synthetic turf fields primarily due to environmental concerns, the prohibitive costs, and the potential placement of the fields in areas at risk of flooding.” 

In January, the Barrington Resilience & Energy Committee found that “the installation of a synthetic turf field poses a significant public concern regarding health and wellness. Concerns include heat stress, injury, infection, latex allergy, and chemical exposure. Synthetic turf field does not advance the town’s resilience and energy agenda.” 

In August, the RI DEM sent a letter to the Burrillville Town Council regarding artificial turf fields. They noted that “some types of artificial turf advertised as ‘PFAS free’ have still been shown to contain PFAS when tested by independent third parties.” They also noted that artificial turf contributes to the contamination of nearby private and public drinking wells. The DEM also relied on an analysis by the Toxic Use Reduction Institute at the U. of Mass. Their report found that all types of artificial turf contain chemicals that are harmful to children. Furthermore, in the summer artificial turf fields get extremely hot and “can damage equipment and burn skin.”

The vast majority of the NFL Players Association and FICA (soccer) members oppose the use of artificial turf. In July, the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center recommended “against the installation of artificial turf playing surfaces and fields due to the uncertainties surrounding the safety of these products and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.” 

The California Office of Environment Health “found a two-to-three-fold increase in skin abrasions per player on artificial turf compared with natural grass turf.” The Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection has “identified concerns relating to a number of chemicals in stormwater runoff from artificial turf fields.” 

The only one who gains from the installation of artificial turf fields is the artificial turf industry. They’re pushing their product on as many communities as possible since they know their days are numbered. 

Vote for our community, for our child, for the environment and for the responsible use of taxpayer money – vote No to artificial turf fields!  

Andrew Reich

Barrington