January 16, 2026
Dear Members of the Montclair Township Council:
I was asked by Montclair residents to review the language about artificial turf in the sustainability and climate resiliency master plan amendment and share my comments with you. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and as the president of the nonprofit National Center for Health Research, I am glad to share the scientific, medical, public health, and environmental information relevant to your consideration of artificial turf.
I will first respond directly to statements regarding safety and extreme heat that were recently shared in municipal documents, and then briefly provide additional health and safety information that is important to Montclair.
Several passages in the municipal documents include wording that relies on industry talking points rather than credible scientific evidence, and this misframing of information should not be in a document intended to guide policies to safeguard the health of Montclair children and adults and to protect your community against climate vulnerability hazards.
- The document states that,“Certain syntheticturf athletic fields register higher surface temperatures than surrounding areas. Differences likely vary due to factors such as infill type, turf color or reflectivity, shading, or nearby paved surfaces.”[1] While it is certainly true that artificial turf can reach higher surface temperatures than surrounding areas[2], this statement is terribly misleading because artificial turf surfaces are consistently much hotter than natural grass, reaching temperatures 50+ degrees Fahrenheit higher than nearby grass in warm and/or sunny weather. The type of infill, turf color or reflectivity, shading, or nearby paved surfaces has little if any impact on those temperatures. In other words, the statement minimizes the dangers of these high temperatures by admitting a temperature increase while ignoring the magnitude, consistency, and potential harm of the temperature increases caused by artificial turf.
- The document also suggests that non-rubber infills can decrease the heat island effect. Although there are some types of infill that contain less lead and less hormone-disrupting chemicals than recycled tire crumb, independent research shows that the plasticgrasscarpet itself is the major contributor to surface heat. Changing infill materials may decrease the temperature by a few degrees, but it does not prevent dangerous temperatures in warm, hot, or sunny weather that I know are frequent in the spring, summer, and fall in Montclair.
Our nonprofit research center has measured temperatures above 160 degrees on artificial turf fields, as have many other scientists and health advocates. As the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center explains. “Risk of heat injury is elevated on recycled rubber play surfaces. On hot summer days, temperatures of over 160 degrees Fahrenheit have been recorded on recycled rubber play surfaces. All artificial turf surfaces examined have been shown to have higher surface temperature and air temperature at head height compared with natural grass, regardless of infill type.”[3]
The extreme temperatures reached on artificial turf surfaces increase the risk of burns and heat poisoning.[4] This issue is especially serious given that heat illness is the leading cause of preventable death among high school athletes.[5] Official documents should not suggest that infill selection resolves a hazard that is inherent to artificial turf itself, and engineering firms with ties to the artificial turf industry should not be allowed to bias these crucial sustainability and climate resiliency plans.
In addition to concerns about extreme heat, artificial turf exposes children and community members to additional risks. These include exposure to microplastics from the degrading blades of plastic grass, particulate matter from infill materials that is inevitably inhaled during play, and potential exposure to PFAS and other hormone-disrupting chemicals that “off-gas” from the artificial turf fields.[6],[7] Well-maintained natural grass fields are much safer.
You may have heard that the NFL Players Association opposes artificial turf[8] and that at least 24-30 major league baseball parks use natural grass instead of artificial turf. That’s because there is clear evidence that athletes are more likely to have serious limb injuries, including ACL and PCL tears, if they play on artificial turf instead of grass.[9]
Artificial turf also poses long-term environmental and financial costs.[10],[11] The fields shed thousands of pounds of plastic and infill into surrounding neighborhoods and waterways, and they usually need to be replaced at least every 8-12 years, even if the maintenance requirements are carefully followed, creating recurring expenses and disposal challenges that are often underestimated at the approval stage.[12] As you probably know, most plastic is not recycled in the U.S., and despite claims to the contrary, artificial turf fields are almost never recycled because most of the components of artificial turf contain chemicals or other materials that can’t be recycled.
We respectfully urge Montclair leaders to ensure that all official materials accurately reflect the scientific evidence and to prioritize the health and safety of children and community members when considering field surfaces. Well-maintained natural grass remains the safer alternative and the only climate-resilient and sustainable one.
We have no financial interest in this topic and do not receive funding to do this research or write letters like this one. I am writing today because I know that artificial turf is harmful to children, adults, the environment, and communities’ budgets, and that these harms can easily be prevented.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your service to the Montclair community. We’d be glad to discuss our research with you and to answer any questions.
Sincerely,
Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D.
President
National Center for Health Research
[2] https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/research/synthetic-turf-surface-temperature
[3] https://mountsinaiexposomics.org/position-statement-on-the-use-of-artificial-turf-surfaces/
[4] https://www.safehealthyplayingfields.org/heat-levels-synthetic-turf
[5] https://ushe.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf/ochestaffresources/Athletics_heat_injuries.pdf
[6] Kole PJ, Löhr AJ, Van Belleghem FGAJ, Ragas AMJ. Wear and tear of tyres: A stealthy source of microplastics in the environment. International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health. 2017;14(10):pii:E1265. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29053641/
[7]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/15/athletes-higher-pfas-levels-artificial-turf
[8] https://nflpa.com/posts/only-natural-grass-can-level-the-nfls-playing-field
[9] https://www.center4research.org/injuries-related-to-artificial-turf/
[10] https://www.safehealthyplayingfields.org/environmental-hazards
[11] https://www.safehealthyplayingfields.org/costs-synthetic-turf
[12] https://www.center4research.org/children-athletes-play-toxic-turf-playgrounds/