READERS VOICE TURF FIELD HEAT, INJURY CONCERNS

By Juan Montoya
It's a typical hot day in South Texas and the soccer or football squad is out on the new artificial turf fields in any one of the high and middle schools installed by the of the  Brownsville Independent School District at a  cost approximating some $7 million.

Outside, the temperature hovers in the mid-90s at around 4:30 in the afternoon, the usual time teams practice.

Little do the players know that while the air temperature can be 95 degrees, the heat collected in the plastic turf can climb to 150 degrees or higher depending on the humidity, whether it's cloudy, or if conditions are windy.

If the squad is doing push-ups or warming up on the field, they are being subjected to extreme temperatures that are not generated by natural grass.

If athletes are in contact with the artificial turf, or breathing in the air at field level, even the manufacturers admit that it could result in injury to the players.

Clemson professor L.B. McCarthy took reflected heat samplings from a variety of surfaces under full sun, and the results aren't in artificial grass's favor. (Click on graphic to enlarge.)

McCarthy said that the outgassing and noxious fumes from sun-baked plastic will repel not only insects, but can be dangerous for players. Add the cancerous arsenic, benzene, lead, and mercury that they contain, and the wisdom spending millions to install the artificial turf on district fields becomes even more questionable.

The rush to install the artificial turf gained momentum after BISD trustee Joe Rodriguez won his election in 2014. Then, the choice of Paragon Sports through the BuyBoard instead of competitive bidding raised eyebrows because of the high cost that is climbing toward $7 million.

The artificial turf upgrade of the Porter High School soccer field alone cost $900,000. Lopez and River and even some middle schools got the artifical turf.

Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas explained to then-purchasing director Rosario Peña that she had heard about the company from fellow superintendents "over coffee."

It didn't help that Zendejas had invited a Paragon Sports representative to address the facilities committee without vetting the company through the purchasing department.

Then, after Peña warned that facilities committee chairman trustee Cesar Lopez could not chair the meeting because he was a BuyBoard representative and his participation would result in a potential conflict of interest, it generated even more controversy with Lopez personally visiting Peña in an agitated state accusing her of insinuating he was doing something wrong.

Inevitably, Peña was shunted off to exile in BISD's Siberia, the Food and Nutrition Service Department for her troubles.

Nonetheless, BISD continues to spend millions to install the Paragon fields, using funds generated through a Tax Restructuring Election (TRE) to fund what some call extravagant expenditures for sports while the facilities infrastructure deteriorates across the district.

The latest coup for Rodriguez and the majority on the board is the approval to install a a $1.4 million scoreboard at Sams Stadium that Rodriguez insists can be paid for by selling sponsorships to local businesses and professionals.

"It'll pay for itself," he assures the board every time the subject comes up. "They have a waiting line of sponsors in McAllen."

As far was we know, there was never an outcry by coached in the BISD for these fields. Some school board members voiced concerns that the surfaces and the retention of heat in the plastic turf will result in more student injuries, claims that seem to be supported by the Penn State University Center for Sports Surface Research studies.
https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/documents/temperature.pdf

In a study, they asked: "How does high surface temperature affect field users? (Astroturf) (Buskirk et al., 1971) – Heat sensors in shoes – Heat transfer from surface to sole – Greater chance of heat related health issues – Discomfort, dehydration, heat stroke."

Neither Zendejas, Rodriguez, or any of the Paragon Sports representatives ever addressed the heat concern during the deliberations into installing the artificial turf. Below are three studies that shed some light on these concerns.

http://www.nsgao.com/images/Natural-Grass-and-Artificial-Turf_booklet.pdf

https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/synthetic_turf/crumb-rubber_infilled/docs/fact_sheet.pdf

https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/documents/temperature.pdf

There is information in those studies that should have been researched before deciding to spend millions on turf fields, in particular the information on how hot the fields become.

Here are some temperatures taken recently in Brownsville around 4:30 p.m. – the same time athletic practices usually begin. :

Air - 95

Grass field - 113

Concrete sidewalk - 125

Asphalt parking lot - 137

Turf field - 143

Air - 94

Grass field - 111

Concrete sidewalk - 120

Asphalt parking lot - 138

Turf field - 151

Air - 93

Grass field - 107

Concrete sidewalk - 111

Asphalt parking lot - 127

Turf field - 154

Rodriguez and the Zendejas administration seem to be determined to spend tens of millions of dollars on the athletic department, these concerns notwithstanding. (Scoreboard, new turf fields and tracks, new gym at Hanna, proposed remodeling of Sams Stadium, indoor facility at Rivera).

 Yet, a lot of our schools are falling apart, are poorly maintained, and in need of major renovations. Will they continue to have their way? Indications are that Rodriguez and the two trustees who are up for reelection that make up part of his majority on the board (Lopez and Carlos Elizondo) will try to go to the voters once more in November to remain there for four more years to continue pushing their priorities.