Europe raises the bar for carcinogens in artificial turf pitches

The European commission is introducing stricter limits for eight compounds found in rubber granules and mulches used as infill in artificial sports pitches and playgrounds. The concern is that these materials expose people to harmful chemicals and that pose a cancer risk.

The granules and mulches are often made from scrap tyres, broken up and ground down into smaller pieces. Their use has increased in the last 10 to 15 years, driven partly by a ban on sending tyres to landfill. But so too have worries about their potential toxicity, sparked by concerns in the US, where a retired professional goalkeeper began collecting data on cancer cases among fellow goalkeepers. Toxicology studies, such as with chicken embryos, have also raised questions.