These East Bay Girl Scouts Are Sounding The Alarm On Artificial Turf

FREMONT, CA — Ruchi Ragavan and Jasmehar Kaur were walking through their Fremont neighborhood and brainstorming ideas for their Girl Scouts project when they were perplexed by how lush and green their surroundings were.

But as they peered closer, they realized it was only because artificial turf had been used to cover lawns and parks.

The two Girl Scouts from Troop 30466 began researching artificial turf. They soon found themselves going down a rabbit hole, where they found that the risks of turf far outweighed its rewards.

Kaur says she and her teammate found through research that turf causes runoff because it can't absorb water, unlike natural grass and that it can't be recycled because it's not biodegradable. She also said it can impact people directly.

"It can lead to burns because it can overheat, it can lead to cancer, and cause issues with the immune system," Kaur told Patch.

Turf has been used in the United States since the mid-1960s. It became a common playing surface at sports stadiums because it didn't require as much maintenance and held up through intense play.

However, concerns have grown over injury rates on synthetic turf. Research shows that NFL players not only suffer a higher injury rate on turf fields, but the odds of that injury being significant enough to require season-ending surgery were much higher compared to natural grass.

A growing use of artificial turf in place of grass across residential, recreational and commercial settings has also raised concerns over its potential impact on human health.

Turf contains microplastics and other potentially hazardous concentrations of chemicals, some of which are derived from crumb rubber infill made from used tires, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine

The study revealed that artificial turf can potentially affect human health, including posing carcinogenic risks; however, its findings were not definitive.

But those chemicals and microplastics are harmful to the environment, according to a 2023 study on environmental pollution.

Rainfall contributed to the washing of artificial turf fibers into rivers and oceans, according to the study, significantly contributing to plastic pollution. Those fibers accounted for up to 15% of meso and macroplastic abundance, according to the study.

Kaur says she and her partner have been on a mission to educate their community about the harmful effects of turf and convince people to switch to natural grass. So far, they've managed to convince at least one person to choose natural grass over turf, Kaur said.

They've presented their research at the Fremont and Union City libraries and will hold another educational seminar at the Niles Farmer Market around 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

"I'm totally proud at what the girls have achieved," Kaur's mother, Upneet Singh, said. "I think it's a good way for the kids to kind of give back to the community, take on that responsibility, partner with the community and take on a leadership role."