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Turf May Be Unsafe

The public advocate and parks advocacy groups are calling for the city to stop building synthetic turf playing fields.

by Laura Silver

NEW YORK, NY February 29, 2008 —REPORTER: Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, Christian DiPalermo, says artificial turf contains black pellets made from recycled tires, which are potentially harmful.

DIPALERMO: There are health risks, just alone with the synthetic turf. There's concern about runoff into our water system, and also, they can get extremely hot.

REPORTER: DiPalermo says the fake turf can reach 140 degrees in the summer.

The Parks Department says high schools and sports leagues have lobbied for the installation of artificial turf because it's durable and can be used year-round.



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