A review of potentially harmful chemicals in crumb rubber used in synthetic football pitches

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Nuno Ratola (Author) FEUP; Filipa Gomes (Author) FEUP; Maria do Rosário Rocha (Author) FEUP; Arminda Alves (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Hazardous Materials

Vol. 409

Pages: 1-32

ISSN: 0304-3894

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 31 Citations

Scopus - 40 Citations

Associated Projects

SAFEGOAL - SAFEGOAL - Tornar mais seguros os relvados sintéticos com enchimento de grãos de borracha de pneus reciclados

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-CEE

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124998

Abstract (EN): Recycling end-of-life tires (ELTs) reduces waste and provides a low-cost source of energy and materials such as crumb rubber, used as infill in artificial turf football pitches. However, some concerns were raised and remain about its safety. The potentially toxic human exposure to chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals and others (volatile organic compounds (VOCs), plasticizers, antioxidants and additives) existing in ELTs (and in the resulting crumb rubber) is being studied, with no definitive conclusions. The literature existing so far suggests the possibility of their release from synthetic turf infill into the environment as water leachates and to the air surrounding the pitches, but there is the need of further research, also to assess the contribution of other materials present in synthetic turf. The database available comprised crumb rubber infill studies from pitches in 6 countries (USA, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Spain) and revealed a myriad of hazardous chemicals, with benzo[a]pyrene (n.d.-4.31 +/- 3.95 mg/kg) and zinc (n.d.-14150 +/- 1344 mg/kg) often exceeding the established limits. A dependence on indoor/outdoor conditions and the age of the source material was evaluated, often showing significative differences. From this standpoint, this review is intended to add knowledge about the presence of contaminants in this recycled material, aiming to ensure the safety of end-users and the environment.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 32