While Maret was destroying more than 60 trees at the ECC to make way for 3.7 acres of plastic turf, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an investigation examining the possible connection between plastic turf and a suspicious cluster of 6 glioblastoma brain cancer deaths among former Phillies athletes. They all played on plastic turf at Veterans Stadium. The Inquirer tested samples of the turf and found evidence of 16 different types of PFAS, a class of toxic “forever” chemicals that are known human carcinogens and hormone disruptors.
The most recent to die of glioblastoma was former relief pitcher David West, who died in May 2022 at age 57. Other players were Ken Brett (2003, age 55), Tug McGraw (2004, age 59), Johnny Oates (2004, age 58), John Vukovich (2007, age 59) and Darren Daulton (2017, age 55). According to the Inquirer, the rate of brain cancer among Phillies who played at the Vet between 1971 and 2003 is about three times the average rate among adult men.
Coincidence? Causality?
Epidemiologists and scientists are notoriously cautious about stating that exposure to PFAS caused the brain cancer. While drinking water contaminated with PFAS is an acknowledged danger, less is known about inhaling the chemicals or exposure through skin contact.
But, why risk it? According to Kyla Bennet, science policy director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), these deaths show that regulators need to prohibit synthetic fields.
“So the question becomes what do you do? Do you say we need more studies? We need 100 more players to get brain cancer before we’ll say maybe there’s a problem?” Bennett told the Inquirer. “Or do we use the precautionary principle and say we know these chemicals cause certain types of cancer?”
And it’s not just cancer. PFAS are also associated with decreased fertility, greater risk of asthma and thyroid and lower immunity. Joy Huertas, spokesperson for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, told the Inquirer that products with PFAS “pose grave environmental and human health risks.… Adverse health effects due to PFAS exposure are a concern for everyone.”
There are an estimated 12,000 plastic turf fields in the US. While only 5 pro baseball teams still use synthetic fields, about 1,200 new plastic turf fields are installed each year, mostly in local parks and schools.
According to an article in the Guardian nine municipalities in Connecticut, California and Massachusetts (Boston), are banning or blocking plastic turf fields. Maine banned PFAS last year and legislatures in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are also considering prohibiting them.
Friends: At a time when other cities are moving away from plastic turf, do we really need another plastic turf field? is it really safe for the children who will be playing on it? What about the neighbors living in nearby homes? For those of us who live in the neighborhood, we cannot leave the field after the game. It is literally in our backyards. We are deeply concerned about exposure to the toxic chemicals in plastic turf. This is a matter of environmental justice. We hope Maret will DO THE RIGHT THING and install natural grass at the ECC field.
- The Inquirer's Report: Field of Dread
- Read the article in the Guardian
Read the full investigation in the Philadelphia Inquirer
- The Inquirer's History of Artificial Turf: A Tangled Timeline
- How the Inquirer Tested the Turf
- What the Inquirer Learned
- More reporting from the Inquirer on the dangers of plastic turf
Watch the CNN report
