CA Reaches Settlement Over Artificial Turf
OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) Some California playgrounds and stadiums will be a lot safer after the state of California reached a settlement with two artificial turf companies that will eliminate dangerous amounts of lead in their products.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown said turf supplier Beaulieu LLC and manufacturer FieldTurf USA have agreed to change products to reduce lead to safe amounts.
"The green pigment in a lot of these products unfortunately contained relatively high levels of lead," said Caroline Cox, who is the Research Director with the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health.
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She said as a result, they filed legal action against the companies. And now, Beaulieu LLC and FieldTurf USA are stepping up to the plate.
"They've agreed to reduce the amount of lead in their product to trace levels, 50 parts per million," said Cox.
She said they also agreed to set money aside for a public education and testing campaign and FieldTurf agreed to put in new fields at a discount for turf installed before November 2003.
Lead is one of the most toxic metals known to man and young children in particular are susceptible to problems after exposure.
"What happens is that their brains don't develop the way that they should," said Cox. "And what you have is their IQ is not as high as it should be and they have behavior problems like ADHD."
Lead has also been linked to cardiac arrest and memory problems in adults.
