The Lowell Center receives many queries about artificial turf, playground surfacing, and natural grass athletic fields. The reports, fact sheets, webinars, videos, and other resources listed below provide information to support informed decision-making at the state and local level.
- Artificial turf concerns: one page flyer- Summary flyer (pdf)
- Athletic Playing Fields: Choosing Safer Options for Health and Environment- Report (pdf)
- Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Artificial Turf
- Athletic Playing Fields and Artificial Turf: Considerations for Municipalities and Institutions- Fact Sheet (pdf)
- Artificial Turf Infill: A Comparative Assessment of Chemical Contents- Peer reviewed journal article (pdf)
- Testing Artificial Turf Materials: Options and Lessons Learned- Report (pdf)
- Building an Organic Maintenance Program for Athletic Fields - Fact Sheet 2021 (pdf)
- Natural Grass Playing Fields Case Study: Denison University, Granville, OH - Case study 2021 (pdf)
- Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Southwest Pennsylvania - Case study 2021 (pdf)
- Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Martha's Vineyard, MA - Case study 2020 (pdf)
- Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Marblehead, MA - Case study 2019 (pdf)
- Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Springfield, MA - Case study 2019 (pdf)
- Forever Chemicals in Artificial Turf: Understanding PFAS testing, July 23, 2024
- Playground Surfacing: Fun and safety without toxic chemicals, Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE), Dec. 12, 2023
- 6PPD in Tires: A concern for playgrounds, artificial turf, and more, Collaborative for Health and Environment (CHE), Oct. 9, 2023
- Playing on Plastic: Artificial Turf Hazards and Safer Alternatives, Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), Aug. 21, 2023
- Everything You Need to Know About Artificial Turf, Center for Environmental Health & Because Health, July 15, 2022
- Organically Managed Grass Athletic Fields (part two of two-part series), Green Building Alliance, March 18, 2022
- Artificial Turf Fields: Health and Environmental Concerns (part one of two part series), Green Building Alliance, Jan. 6, 2022
- Healthy Building Network, Newsletter, Solutions for Safer Turf, Oct. 20, 2021
- Chemical and Heat Hazards of Artificial Turf Athletic Fields, Green Kids Doc (Region 5 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit), Jan. 6, 2021
- Guest Blog: Choosing Safer Athletic Playing Surfaces, Healthy Schools Pennsylvania, Sept. 10, 2020
- Earth Day: Environmental Impacts of Artificial vs. Natural Turfgrass, SodSolutions, April 22, 2019
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Three Massachusetts Communities Maintain Athletic Fields Organically
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Natural Grass Organic Athletic Fields in Springfield, MA
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Organic Management of Natural Grass Featuring Chip Osborne
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Safer Alternatives for Playing Fields
- Poolesville Green: Safer Playground Surfaces: Protecting Kids’ Health (2023)
- Cancer & Environment Network of Southwestern PA: Health and Environmental Hazards of Artificial Turf and Safer Alternatives (2023). Passcode: q+AckJw1
- Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE): Environmental Health Impacts of Synthetic Turf and Safer Alternatives (2022) (Also see: CHE 2022 Webinar: Questions and Answers)
- Healthy Building Network (HBN): Selecting Athletic Turf You Can Feel Good About (2020)
- Sports Fields: Assessing the Alternatives (2018)