California State Files Artificial Grass Lawsuit

The California Attorney General, Los Angeles City Attorney and Salano County Attorney have filed a lawsuit against three makers of artificial grass fields, claiming that some types of their turf contain levels of lead that could be harmful to children and adults.

The artificial grass lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, in Alameda County Superior Court against AstroTurf, FieldTurf USA Inc. and the Beaulieu Group . These top artificial grass makers were all accused of deliberately concealing the fact that their products contained lead in levels that violate California’s Proposition 65, an environmental law.

In many artificial fields, lead is used to color the turf to resemble natural green grass. The chemical is a potential carcinogen, which has been linked to a number of health concerns, including birth defects in developing fetuses and damage to reproductive systems.

In 1978, the use of lead was banned in household paints by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, due to the risk of lead paint poisoning. In addition, the levels of lead allowed in consumer products has been tightly regulated to reduce the risk of lead exposure, especially for young children.

Samples of artificial turf tested from the three companies involved in the lawsuit were found to contain excessive levels of lead. Although the levels of lead are not a substantial concern in newer fields, as the turf fields age, lead levels may rise up to 20 times more than the limit allowed by California law.

The lawsuit alleges that artificial grass fields could pose a risk to children and adults, who may be exposed to harmful levels of lead by absorbing it through their skin or by coming in contact with the fields and then touching food or their mouths.

In July 2008, a California-based environmental advocacy group, Center for Environmental Health, filed an artificial grass lawsuit against field makers with similar allegations to the lawsuit filed by the California attorney general. The Center for Environmental Health lawsuit alleges that one-third of the 50 samples tested from artificial turf fields contained lead levels that were higher than the upper limit of 0.5 micrograms per day of lead exposure permitted by California law.

In August 2008, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a report that supported the safety of artificial grass, concluding that although some fields were found to contain lead, it was not in high enough levels to cause concerns about lead poisoning for children.

The U.S. CPSC report was criticized by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who called it “dangerously and deceptively” misleading. Out of only 14 samples tested by the U.S. CPSC, six were from artificial grass that was not installed or used, and one was from a turf field no longer in use.

Although the makers of artificial turf fields have defended the safety of their product and indicate that they are safe for children, the Los Angeles Times reports that the state of California and the manufacturers sued in this latest artificial grass lawsuit, are working on negotiating a settlement.