HOWELL — A township councilman has raised concerns about the possible health effects a synthetic turf field could have on individuals who play on the surface.
During a recent Township Council meeting, Councilman Edward Guz said he is concerned about the possible health impact on youngsters who would play on a Howell turf field and the proposed cost of the project.
“This field is the second-largest dollar amount on the engineering capital improvements. There are recent studies circulating which indicate there are exposures of lead in turf fields and, if we are to install one, it might bring hazardous conditions to our children,” Guz said.
In February, the council passed a resolution authorizing the exploration of a shared service agreement with the Freehold Regional High School District.
The two entities have indicated they may be willing to work together to replace the grass playing field at the Howell High School football stadium with a synthetic turf. The estimated cost of the project is $2.6 million.
“I don’t think we are considering all of our needs if we can afford to install this field. We are going to be spending money on one field that might only last for 10 to 15 years, so I do not understand the necessity to get this completed for this year,” Guz said.
Mayor Bill Gotto said any discussions regarding the project are premature and said no details have been discussed at length.
“I have found articles regarding the possible lead exposure in the fields as well and [those articles] have said that fields referenced in studies are more than 10 years old and are not manufactured the same way [synthetic] fields are today with the materials carrying those possible lead exposures,” Gotto said.
Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro said elected officials would not do anything to endanger the health of children.
“I think we as a governing body need to do more fact-finding and compare apples to apples before we move on with this. I have children and I would never put their lives in jeopardy if the scientific findings turn out to be true about these fields,” Nicastro said.
Paul Lioy, a Rutgers University professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, conducted a study published in 2014 regarding materials used in turf fields.
Out of the seven New Jersey fields involved in the study, he said there is a low risk for lead exposure.
Lioy said there is a greater risk of lead exposure in older turf fields from paint used to outline yard lines because there is a higher level of lead in those paints.
“We used fresh turf products from an installation company in our study and determined the specific compounds within the materials and concluded by finding there was none to extremely little lead exposure in them that would not even be remotely accessible to people using the fields,” Lioy said.
He said that prior to purchasing a turf field it would be advisable for the purchaser to obtain product information from the supplier and to hire a professional to conduct additional testing on the material that is being used to create the field.
During a discussion of the turf field in Howell, the possibility of using money from the municipality’s open space and recreation trust fund to pay for the improvement was raised.
However, municipal officials said that is not an option because the school property is not owned by the township.
Chief Financial Officer Louis Palazzo said although the turf field project is included in the capital spending plan, no action has been taken by the council to issue bonds in connection with the project.
“All that having this amount [$2.6 million] on the plan shows is how we will craft our bond ordinance if we are to proceed with it. Once that spending authority is created, it is then determined how long the township will need the cash on hand and then there would be purchases for the necessities the project entails,” Palazzo said.