Turf field materials

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how to find out the materials used on MCPS high school artificial turf fields? They appear to be different at different schools. At our school clouds of dust rise during games when the field is dry. I would like to find out what this dust is made of so I can check if inhaling it can cause adverse health effects.

[Anonymous]

You mean chalk?

[Anonymous]

OP you can request the MSDS sheets for the materials in the field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean chalk?

Chalk is typically not used in turf field construction.

[Anonymous]

Here are the MSDS for DC fields. You want the MSDS for MCPS fields.

They will most likely be different. It depends on the manufacturer. These will give you an idea.

https://dgs.dc.gov/page/material-safety-data-sheets-%E2%80%93-artificial-turf-fields

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean chalk?

Chalk is typically not used in turf field construction.

Obviously not, but yard lines are sometimes drawn on with chalk instead of paint. Chalk will fly around like that, it’s all they used to use on football fields and then more people switched to paint because it lasts longer and doesn’t get dusty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean chalk?

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how to find out the materials used on MCPS high school artificial turf fields? They appear to be different at different schools. At our school clouds of dust rise during games when the field is dry. I would like to find out what this dust is made of so I can check if inhaling it can cause adverse health effects.

The Parents' Coalition has all that information.

[Anonymous]

The turf fields are simply terrible. And MCPS is pushing to have them installed at every high school.

The temperature runs so high on turf fields versus grass. Not sure why the county pushes them so hard, but I’m guessing someone is making big money off turf field installation in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The turf fields are simply terrible. And MCPS is pushing to have them installed at every high school.

The temperature runs so high on turf fields versus grass. Not sure why the county pushes them so hard, but I’m guessing someone is making big money off turf field installation in Montgomery County.

Grass just can't hold up to the daily beating a large high school's field gets. So turf or baked clay.

[Anonymous]

Because the grass would be a mudpit.

[Anonymous]

The latest fields are filled with an organic material, Montgomery County will only install fields with organic infill.

Some of the older turf fields have the ground up rubber that most of us have in our cars from playing soccer at the soccerplex on their old fields

At some it is ground up volcanic rock, organic and yes, until it settles and gets some use it is dusty. The people playing on it can get some pretty nice rash burns. I agree, organic or not, breathing that staff in isn't great.

the best field in the area is at Lakelands MS, it is filled with ground up cork.

The heat isn't as bad on the volcanic rock fields because it is sand color and some of the folks (she knows who she is) used equipment to take the temperature of some of the fields that were not finished and the heat from the black asphalt and the backing of the material increased the temperature. It is a bit hotter but my kids all reported it is a lot cooler than the rubbery infill.

The coaches and players and parents of players all want natural grass -it is Jeff Sullivan and his group -who all need to go that are pushing this for financial reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The latest fields are filled with an organic material, Montgomery County will only install fields with organic infill.

Some of the older turf fields have the ground up rubber that most of us have in our cars from playing soccer at the soccerplex on their old fields

At some it is ground up volcanic rock, organic and yes, until it settles and gets some use it is dusty. The people playing on it can get some pretty nice rash burns. I agree, organic or not, breathing that staff in isn't great.

the best field in the area is at Lakelands MS, it is filled with ground up cork.

The heat isn't as bad on the volcanic rock fields because it is sand color and some of the folks (she knows who she is) used equipment to take the temperature of some of the fields that were not finished and the heat from the black asphalt and the backing of the material increased the temperature. It is a bit hotter but my kids all reported it is a lot cooler than the rubbery infill.

The coaches and players and parents of players all want natural grass -it is Jeff Sullivan and his group -who all need to go that are pushing this for financial reasons.

+1 to this paragraph

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest fields are filled with an organic material, Montgomery County will only install fields with organic infill.

Some of the older turf fields have the ground up rubber that most of us have in our cars from playing soccer at the soccerplex on their old fields

At some it is ground up volcanic rock, organic and yes, until it settles and gets some use it is dusty. The people playing on it can get some pretty nice rash burns. I agree, organic or not, breathing that staff in isn't great.

the best field in the area is at Lakelands MS, it is filled with ground up cork.

The heat isn't as bad on the volcanic rock fields because it is sand color and some of the folks (she knows who she is) used equipment to take the temperature of some of the fields that were not finished and the heat from the black asphalt and the backing of the material increased the temperature. It is a bit hotter but my kids all reported it is a lot cooler than the rubbery infill.

The coaches and players and parents of players all want natural grass -it is Jeff Sullivan and his group -who all need to go that are pushing this for financial reasons.

+1 to this paragraph

Financial reasons as they are getting a kick back? Because artificial turf is way more expensive than natural grass.

Nice natural grass fields are in use at MCPS high schools and they don't cost what artificial turf costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest fields are filled with an organic material, Montgomery County will only install fields with organic infill.

Some of the older turf fields have the ground up rubber that most of us have in our cars from playing soccer at the soccerplex on their old fields

At some it is ground up volcanic rock, organic and yes, until it settles and gets some use it is dusty. The people playing on it can get some pretty nice rash burns. I agree, organic or not, breathing that staff in isn't great.

the best field in the area is at Lakelands MS, it is filled with ground up cork.

The heat isn't as bad on the volcanic rock fields because it is sand color and some of the folks (she knows who she is) used equipment to take the temperature of some of the fields that were not finished and the heat from the black asphalt and the backing of the material increased the temperature. It is a bit hotter but my kids all reported it is a lot cooler than the rubbery infill.

The coaches and players and parents of players all want natural grass -it is Jeff Sullivan and his group -who all need to go that are pushing this for financial reasons.

+1 to this paragraph

Financial reasons as they are getting a kick back? Because artificial turf is way more expensive than natural grass.

Nice natural grass fields are in use at MCPS high schools and they don't cost what artificial turf costs.

Well, everyone knows how it works. When politicians give their chummy developer pals a contract, they wind up with big fat campaign contributions. It's why some candidates talk about building special housing for teachers instead of just using that money to pay them a fair wage. It's all aboutof helping out their pals to get lucrative kickbacks.