Photo Credit: Shaw Sports Turf
Depending on whom you ask, the shredded Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) infill—or crumb rubber as it is more commonly known—typically used in synthetic-turf athletic fields, is perfectly safe or frighteningly hazardous. Both sides of the argument are currently supported by limited research and studies, making it nearly impossible for many owners and administrators to make heads or tails of the issue. Luckily, there are other options for synthetic-turf infill that the general public is decidedly more cool-headed about, making synthetic-turf field installation possible without stepping into tricky territory.
A form of recycling, crumb rubber is produced by shredding discarded tires made from natural or synthetic rubber. Because these materials contain a mixture of chemicals that are potentially harmful, school administrators, municipal officials, and athletic coaches have expressed concern over the risk of exposure to athletes who play regularly on this type of cushioning. Because many schools and municipalities continue to find their existing natural-grass fields cannot adequately support sports and recreation programs, crumb rubber alternatives are a mostly conflict-free solution.
Contradictory Cases Lead To Confusion
In the midst of conflicting perspectives, it is helpful to understand why crumb rubber is used in the first place; it is a cost-effective material that creates a playing surface with properties acceptable for modern sports competition. In addition, it removes tons of used tires from the waste stream. Plus, synthetic-turf fields can reduce maintenance costs and athletic injuries while increasing the life of a field. A typical multi-purpose synthetic-turf field using crumb rubber mixed with silica sand has approximately 6 pounds of infill per square foot with 50 percent being rubber. That equates to approximately 250,000 pounds of recycled tires for one 85,000-square-foot field. The vast majority of synthetic-turf fields has been and continues to be infilled with crumb rubber.