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Synthetic Turf Fields, Crumb Rubber, and Alleged Cancer Risk

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Abstract

Most synthetic turf fields have crumb rubber interspersed among the simulated grass fibers to reduce athletic injuries by allowing users to turn and slide more readily as they play sports or exercise on the fields. Recently, the crumbs have been implicated in causing cancer in adolescents and young adults who use the fields, particularly lymphoma and primarily in soccer goalkeepers. This concern has led to the initiation of large-scale studies by local and federal governments that are expected to take years to complete. Meanwhile, should the existing synthetic turf fields with crumb rubber be avoided? What should parents, players, coaches, school administrators, and playground developers do? What should sports medicine specialists and other health professionals recommend? Use grass fields when weather and field conditions permit? Exercise indoors? Three basic premises regarding the nature of the reported cancers, the latency of exposure to environmental causes of cancer to the development of clinically detectable cancer, and the rarity of environmental causation of cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults suggest otherwise.

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Fig. 1

Source: US National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, SEER 18 Regions, 2000–2013 [29]

Fig. 2

Source: the melanoma data are from the US National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program SEER 18 Regions, 2000–2013 [29] and the breast cancer data are from Moskowitz et al. [31]

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Archie Bleyer

  2. University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX, USA

    Archie Bleyer

  3. 2884 NW Horizon Dr., Bend, OR, 97703, USA

    Archie Bleyer

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Bleyer, A. Synthetic Turf Fields, Crumb Rubber, and Alleged Cancer Risk. Sports Med 47, 2437–2441 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0735-x

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