Woodlands grapples with questions about turf’s health risk

Woodlands among towns debating material’s health risk

Workers put down turf in Bear Branch Park in The Woodlands. Some critics nationwide are voicing health concerns about the material's crumb rubber filler. — Workers put down turf in Bear Branch Park in The Woodlands. Some critics nationwide are voicing health concerns about the material’s crumb rubber filler.

There was a time when hours of steady, hard rain could close soccer fields in The Woodlands for days. So this sports-crazed suburb decided to replace the grass with a synthetic turf that would be playable in any weather.

The artificial surface has worked so well that games were played last Sunday, the day after a heavy storm dumped more than 2 inches of rain on the area.

But not everyone is convinced that the switch three years ago was the right one. That’s because of growing concerns about possible health risks from exposure to the rubber granules nestled in the grass fibers. click here for complete story