After concerns were raised about alleged but unsubstantiated health risks associated with the crumb rubber used as the infill material on the vast majority of turf fields, we began to explore the body of information regarding the risks (or lack of risks) associated with crumb rubber. Different options to crumb rubber were surfaced and they have been explored.
There is a lot of information on the web regarding crumb rubber. There is less on the other two products. I did find one particularly comprehensive review by the state of NY that looked at all of the research data on crumb rubber. The report also addressed coated crumb rubber products like CoolFill. It is a lengthy read, but comprehensively covers the topic. Additionally, they publish a very nice executive summary that deals with the questions with much more concision.
As we have reviewed the options with the contractor, we found that Nike Grind is produced in a very limited quantity and current demand far exceeds supply of the product. Skanska has proposed a “ROM” price estimate to change to CoolFill of $80,000.
Based on the data I have reviewed, there is no empirical evidence that suggests crumb rubber is a dangerous or toxic surface.
I would like input from the board regarding this topic. Is there interest on the part of the board in further pursuing the option of CoolFill.
Several documents are attached for your review.