Forum Report Warns Against the Risks of Artificial Turf

After years of community input, analysis and deliberation both the School and Village boards have indicated that they plan to move forward with some improvements to recreational fields and courts in the coming budget year.

The current draft of the proposed FY 2025-26 school budget includes $1,250,000 for field work and the Mayor has indicated that funding for fieldwork is also a priority for the 2025-26 Village budget.

No decision have yet been made on which projects will be taken on first. But in anticipation of the work, the Scarsdale Forum has released a report urging the school and village not to install any additional artificial turf fields and to consider replacing the existing turf fields with grass. The report, dated January 15, 2025, is the work of the Sustainability, Municipal Services, Parks and Recreation Committees of the Scarsdale Forum and is titled, “Health, Safety, Environmental Impacts and Exposure Risks of Synthetic Turf Recreation Fields and Courts.”

The report contends that artificial turf has potential negative health impacts for children and adults who play on them, poses adverse environmental impacts and costs more in the long term than natural grass.

The lengthy report reviews studies on the health risks of exposure to artificial turf materials including plastics and lead along with the greater incidence of injury for those playing on artificial turf. It discusses the increased heat levels on artificial turf and contends that artificial turf exacerbates flooding as it is an impervious surface that cannot absorb storm runoff.

Read the full report here.