Synthetic Turf Versus Natural Turf for Playing Fields

This report describes research we performed for the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE) to assist in decisionmaking regarding the purchasing of synthetic turf. Synthetic turf is becoming increasingly popular as a surface for playing fields. The products have improved and many competing brands are now available, offering a range of choices of materials. These fields offer a number of advantages over natural turf, the most important of which in most instances is playability. Many questions have been raised about the health and environmental impacts of these playing fields, and although research is beginning to explore these questions the conclusions are based on incomplete information and lead to contradictory results.