To the Editor:

Regarding the story on the Northwestern Lehigh School Board meeting in the Jan. 24, 2019, edition of the Northwestern Press, I presented this information at the Northwestern Lehigh School Board meeting in January after learning they had approved artificial turf for our stadium improvement project.

The board was aware of much of this information prior to approval but their decision must also reflect the community’s desires.

In speaking with a board member following the meeting, I stated I doubt the general public is aware of most of this information, and he agreed.

As a retired certified athletic trainer, I feel responsible to make parents and the general public aware of this potentially critical information.

I will state I am strongly opposed to installing crumb rubber artificial turf on our football field due to the significant health risks it may pose to the children playing on it.

Crumb rubber has been the most commonly used fill in artificial turf for more than a decade.

It is made of a combination of ground, recycled tires and sand and is used to simulate the soil in natural grass.

There are other options which include: virgin rubber, cork or coconut fiber instead of the recycled tire material.

The first and foremost concern regarding crumb rubber turf is cancer.

At this point studies remain inconclusive but they also generally end with the statement “more in-depth research needs to be done.”

The cancer concern was first noted in 2009 when an assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Washington, Amy Griffin, found that more than 50 former or current soccer players, all of which played on turf, had been diagnosed with cancer.

An alarmingly high percentage were goalies. (players who are constantly diving in the stuff).

Although goalies only account for 10 percent of the players on the team they account for almost 60 percent of the cancer cases. Since then, Griffin has continued to compile a voluntary list of athletes playing on turf, who were diagnosed with cancer.

As of March 2018 that list has grown to 253 total athletes with cancer.

The numbers are as follows:

·155 blood cancers including Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, 51 percent of these were goalies.

·55 cases of leukemia, 67 percent were goalies.

·31 cases of sarcoma (soft tissue cancer) 41 percent were goalies.

·15 cases of testicular cancer, 58 percent were goalies.

·11 thyroid cancers, 80 percent were goalies. All female ages 16-26.

·10 brain cancers, 60 percent were goalies.

·Four ovarian cancers, 25 percent were goalies. Ages 14, 15, 23 and 34.

·Three cases of lung cancer. All were goalies. Ages 19, 26 and 27.

According to medical science standards, this does not constitute a cancer cluster or a cause-and-effect relationship.

When Griffin’s list began attracting attention, Washington State Department of Health and researchers at the University of Washington School of Public Health conducted an investigation into whether the cancer rate seen in her list was unusual.

The study published in January 2017 concluded it was not, and recommended that “people who enjoy soccer continue to play, irrespective of the type of field surface.”

However, to me it is concerning.

John Frisch

Germansville