Artificial turf fields, which have spread like crabgrass because of their durability and low maintenance, are now the subject of an extensive health and safety study.
Several state agencies are participating in the $245,000 study that will consider everything from the chemicals the synthetic playing surfaces release into the air and groundwater, to the effects on players of direct contact with the crumb rubber pellets they shed.
The state Department of Public Health is coordinating the study and will release a health risk assessment of artificial turf next January.
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