From WJLA and Nathan Baca, a report from Bethesda, MD on how turf field surface temperatures can get so hot they can injure or even kill players.
“In late June, a recycled tire field in Northwest DC’s Palisades Park was roasting. 7 On Your Side used both an infrared laser spot thermometer and a more sensitive infrared camera to test wider areas. Both consistently showed surface temperatures on artificial turf approaching 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
That wasn’t the only field we spotted people playing on super-heated turf. We compared the surface temperature of the artificial turf at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School with natural grass right next to it.
The artificial turf still approached 180 degrees while natural grass was 96 degrees.”
Read it all here