November 8, 2023
County of Santa Clara, District 4
70 West Hedding, East Wing, 10th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110
Via email: BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org
Dear Santa Clara County President Ellenberg, Vice President Lee, and Supervisors,
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter (SCLPC) supports action to reduce plastics pollution due to the effects of plastic on the environment, on sustainability and on public health — especially on fetuses in utero and young children. We ask that the County enact an ordinance prohibiting the installation of artificial turf on all property within County jurisdiction.
Plastics Permeate our Environment
Scientists have estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
Despite progress on plastics recycling, excluding faux-recycling (e.g., cutting up used athletic turf and selling it to homeowners) or breaking plastics into small pieces and then pressing them into use in a lesser product (e.g., turning artificial turf into single use plastic bags), the actual rate for plastics recycling in the United States hovers under 9%, with 75% of plastic currently buried in landfills.
The remaining 16% is incinerated, primarily to produce energy. Unfortunately incineration itself produces pollutants and carbon-dioxide (CO2). Heating plastics also generates new toxic chemicals that can become part of a follow-on product (e.g., when plastics containing flame retardants are heated, a stabilizer can degrade to become a “brominated” compound of the type just barred from food products by the recently enacted “California Food Safety Act”).
Plastic fades and cracks as it degrades in landfills or when rolled out onto athletic fields. This causes small bits of plastic to flow into our storm drains, watersheds, and into the ocean. Japanese researchers have even found micro plastic particles in cloud matter at the top of Mount Fuji. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have stated that such micro-plastics can “affect the human body by stimulating the release of endocrine disruptors” (endocrines produce hormones for growth, fertility and reproduction).
The PFAS Hazard
There are also hazardous special chemicals, PFAS chemicals in particular, which are added to many plastics. PFAS provide properties that were originally considered beneficial, such as strengthening or fireproofing plastics, however PFAS is now recognized as problematic or dangerous. In a recent update, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed known hazards of some PFAS chemicals, including
- Decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women
- Adverse developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or and behavioral changes
- Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers
- Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response, and
- Interference with the body’s natural hormones
There are more than 10,000 known PFAS chemicals and more are being created. It is important to remember that PFAS chemicals are manufactured. They are not found in nature, though basic components of PFAS chemicals are Fluorine, known to be toxic to humans in very small quantities and found in the rock Fluorite, and chained Carbon molecules found in organic oils such as in petroleum substances (methane, butane, etc.) or other organic oils (e.g., oleic acid). Fluorine, as a gas, is highly reactive, and unintentional PFAS have been created in the food industry through the common, until recently, process of running Florine gas over (“fluorinating”) plastic wrap, for example.
This easy, even unintentional, proliferation of PFAS chemicals is a reason why it is impossible to declare that any plastic manufactured with Florine is “PFAS-free.” It is not possible to simply declare that there are no PFAS in a product by “target” testing for 32 known specific PFAS chemicals, for example. Instead, it is necessary to look first for Florine and, if found, then look for specific PFAS (some of which may be novel, that is, previously unknown). Note that all artificial turf uses Florine during manufacturing.
Global health experts say that in order to reduce plastics in our environment we need to immediately cease using plastic where it is not needed.
It is for this reason that our Plastics Prevention Subcommittee has started a campaign to have artificial turf removed from landscapes and athletic fields. One soccer field covers between 1.6 and 2 acres of ground. That is a lot of plastic, and artificial turf comes in layers. There is always a top “carpet” layer with plastic grass blades. In addition to the carpet layer, there may be plastic padding underneath, or infill bits that may be mixed-or-made-with plastic or rubber. For every additional plastic layer on a soccer field you can calculate another 1.6 to 2 acres of plastic.
Then consider that artificial turf needs to be replaced every 8 - 10 years so every 8-10 years another 1.6 to 2 acres or more of new plastic must be laid, and something must be done with the 1.6 to 2 acres that is being replaced, e.g. landfill, repurposed for yards, or incinerated.
When it comes to unnecessary uses of plastic, along with single use plastic bags and takeout cutlery, it is obvious that no one needs plastic rolled-out onto the ground in order to run, play, or to admire its color.
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter asks the County to enact an ordinance prohibiting the installation of artificial turf on all property within County jurisdiction, whether for landscaping or athletic fields.
Sincerely,
Susan Hinton
Chair, Plastic Pollution Prevention Subcommittee
Environmental Stewardship Program
Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club