Group fights turf choice for two west county high schools

A small group of parents is scrambling to halt a yearslong plan to replace grass athletic fields at two west county high schools, arguing that synthetic turf may be hazardous to young people’s health.

West Sonoma Union High School District board members voted 4-0 in November to install synthetic turf fields with a crumb-rubber infill at Analy and El Molino high schools.

Final construction plans are with the state, whose architects must approve such school building projects, Superintendent Keller McDonald said.

The new fields are part of a nearly $8 million overhaul of both schools’ stadiums, which host football, soccer and physical education classes and other activities. Community fundraising began in 2006 for the projects, which were eventually funded with bond proceeds.

Still, some parents and west county residents, including artist and teacher Nell Hergenrather, are hoping the board will reverse course.

McDonald said he has heard from a handful of concerned residents who plan to attend Wednesday night’s board meeting.

In an email to the board, Hergenrather said she agrees with using bond money to replace the fields with all-weather turf in this time of drought.

“But we need to make a choice that upholds our collective values by opting out of a surface that will put our kids and environment at risk,” she wrote.

The scientific community has conducted some studies on turf field hazards, including the Environmental Protection Agency, which issued no conclusions other than a recommendation that field users wash their hands after touching crumb-rubber fill.

A bill introduced in the state Senate in December proposes a moratorium on new tire-based crumb fields on school or public park property until Jan. 1, 2018 so a study can be conducted on cumulative exposures to chemicals that may be found in synthetic turf.

Hergenrather believes the science is already clear: “The link of chemicals found in crumb turf to lymphoma and other cancers is undeniable.”

Two of the original leaders of the fundraising drive to replace the fields and upgrade the stadiums said they understand the concerns.

Chip Castleberry, the former athletic director and longtime coach at Analy, and parent and teacher Linda Maloney said their priority is for the children’s safety - including from physical injuries that come from poorly maintained natural grass fields.

One of Maloney’s four athlete sons suffered a badly broken forearm after losing his footing on a rutted grass field. That’s why she began fundraising for turf fields in 2006.

Castleberry said it’s likely too late in the game to start over with a different type of field.

“I wish they would have come forward earlier if that is a true concern,” Castleberry said. “Any time there’s research, there are always two sides. There’s part of me that says if it were that toxic, with so many things going on on these fields, there would be more of an outcry that things need to be done.”

McDonald said the board heard an in-depth presentation on synthetic fields and various infill products, including “a possible connection” with increased cancer in youth athletes and studies that show they are safe.

“It’s easy to understand that this issue raises concerns,” he said. “But all sides of the issue received a fair consideration and the board respectfully made the decision to continue with the plan to use crumb rubber after considering all the available information and people’s input.”

Ground rubber, also called tire crumb or crumb rubber, is made from scrap tires and is used in road construction, ground cover under playground equipment, running track material and as a soil additive on sports and playing fields, according to the EPA.

It is sometimes used in synthetic turf fields as “infill” between synthetic turf “grass” fibers to provide stability, uniformity and resiliency.

It was developed in the mid-1960s and has gained widespread popularity around the country and is now used in stadiums, parks, golf courses, playgrounds, cruise ships, airports and residential applications, the EPA says.

The Synthetic Turf Council said it has been installed in about 4,500 fields, tracks and playgrounds in the country.

Hergenrather said she is bothered by the potential for children to come into contact with the ground rubber pellets and said she will not allow her children to play on it. She suggests the school board instead choose a coconut fiber and cork infill product.

“The cost difference is not that much. It’s like $40,000,” she said. “I gotta think the west county can do better than this for our kids.”

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.