(March 26, 2015) -- Legislation has advanced in Sacramento that (as now amended) would require park departments and school districts to seek at least one other option and hold at least one public hearing if they seek to use "crumb rubber" from waste tires (recycled rubber from car and truck scrap tires) for recreational fields or playgrounds. "Crumb rubber" from waste tires is one type of synthetic material (among various types) now being considered by LB Parks/Rec management for soccer fields at LB's El Dorado Park, Admiral Kidd Park and Seaside Park.

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SB 47 (full text as currently amended here) would also require a study by July 1, 2017 by the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, in consultation with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Department of Public Health, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control, "analyzing synthetic turf for potential adverse health impacts." (Details in full bill text here.)

As initially introduced, SB 47 would have simply forbidden use of the material pending the state study on its safety, but as now amended, the bill would allow its use only if three conditions are met:

[SB 47 text as amended] (a) (1) A public or private school or local government shall not install, or contract for the installation of, a new field or playground surface made from synthetic turf within the boundaries of a public or private school or public recreational park unless the following three conditions are met:

(A) The bid specification of the public or private school or local government for the turf field or playground surface includes at least one option that does not use crumb rubber from waste tires.

(B) The public or private school or local government has obtained at least one estimate from a company that does not use crumb rubber from waste tires in its turf field and playground products.

(C) The public or private school or local government has held public meeting regarding the installation of synthetic turf with an opportunity for public comment.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any installation of a field 12or playground surface made from synthetic turf that commenced, or any contract for such installation entered into, prior to January 1, 2016.

(3) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any maintenance that is needed on a synthetic turf field or playground in existence as of January 1, 2016.

To view the full text of SB 47 as currently amended, click here.

Below is support and opposition for the measure as indicated in the Environmental Committee staff's legislative analysis:

SUPPORT:

Action for Nature
Brock International, LLC
California Native Plant Society
California Safe Schools
Center for Environmental Health
Clean Water Action
Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods
Coalition to Save Ocean Beach / Friends of Sutro Heights Park
D5 Action
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
Environment California
GeoTurf/Limonta Sport USA
Golden Gate Audubon Society
Golden Gate Park Preservation Alliance
Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council
Healthy Soccer SF
Hellas Sports Construction
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
San Francisco Tomorrow
Senator Quentin L. Kopp
Sierra Club California
SF Ocean Edge
SFPARKS
SPEAK Sunset Parkside Education and Action Committee
SynTurf.org
The Turf Authority
Turf Grass Forum
77 individuals

OPPOSITION:

American Sports Builders Association (ASBA)
California Association of School Business Officials
Californians Against Waste
CRM Company, Inc.
Liberty Tire Recycling
Los Angeles County Solid Waste Management Committee/Integrated Waste Management Task Force
Synthetic Turf Council
West Coast Rubber Recycling, Inc.he legislation has drawn support and opposition as indicated below.

The Committee's legislative analysis summarized the arguments pro and con as follows:

[Committee staff analysis text] ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) state that "every year millions of pounds of tires are recycled into ground rubber, sometimes called "tire crumb) and placed onto playgrounds and sports fields. PEER represents public health professionals who are concerned that there has been no adequate risk assessment on the potential toxicity to children from direct contact with tire ingredients, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury and a number of dangerous hydrocarbons.

Neither the US EPA nor the CPSC has ever fully investigated its public health and environmental risks. In fact, US EPA scientific reviews or available literature have concluded that the agency lacks the information required to adequately assess the extent of childhood exposure from ingestion or inhalation of an array of toxic chemicals found within tires."

ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION:

Californians Against Waste (CAW) strongly opposes SB 47, stating that while CAW "often urges the application of the Precautionary Principal in response to conflicting data," "in this instance, [CAW] is not aware of any conflicting data that indicates a health risk from the use of recycled crumb rubber. In fact, the use of this product has been studied more extensively than almost any other recycled product that is sold. There have been more than 50 technical studies and several extensive literature reviews analyzing the health concerns of crumb rubber use (including cancer risk). To the best of our [CAW's] knowledge, none have found an elevated cancer risk." Rubber recycling and synthetic turf manufacturers in opposition state that they fear that the moratorium in SB 47 puts at risk dozens of California businesses and jobs that have invested in building a tire recycling infrastructure.

On Mar. 18, SB 47 had a hearing before the state Senate's Environmental Committee. To view VIDEO of the Committee's consideration of the bill (with testimony pro and con), see video below from the California Channel:

SB 47 ultimately cleared the Committee on a 5-0 vote (Wieckowski, Hill, Jackson, Leno, Pavley [all Dems] voting "yes"; two Repubs (Gaines and Bates) listed as "no vote recorded") and the bill is now headed to the state Senate Appropriations Committee (which will consider if it has any state budget impacts in deciding whether to send it to the state Senate floor.)

The state Senate Appropriations Committee is chaired by state Senator Ricardo Lara (D., Long Beach-Huntington Park). Its other members are Senators Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza (reps part of SE LA County) and Nielsen. No hearing date for the bill has been set in the Appropriations Committee.

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, opposition to the use of "crumb rubber" surfaced, but was curtailed, at a Feb. 23 public meeting organized by Councilwoman Stacy Mungo to discuss City Hall's current plan to install some type of synthetic material -- with the possible installation of lights -- in El Dorado Park West [east side of Studebaker Rd., north of Willow St.] After Councilwoman Mungo spent a lengthy period offering her answers to questions submitted by residents on cards, resident Ann Cantrell rose and sought to discuss the crumb rubber issue. Councilwoman Mungo basically told Ms. Cantrell to sit down and a pointed exchange ensued (to see video of the exchange, click here.) .

Councilwoman Mungo initially told the meeting's roughly 200+ attendees that if they didn't want their children playing on crumb rubber in El Dorado Park, they could use soccer fields elsewhere in town that would use other materials. However Parks & Rec Director George Chapjian subsequently made clear that his department won't use different materials in one park and not another; whatever material is chosen that will be used citywide and his Department will treat health concerns seriously. Later in the meeting, a City hired consultant acknowledged the controversy over "crumb rubber" but opined that roughly 60 studies he'd seen to date hadn't shown a cancer link.

To see how KCET (Channel 28) recently reported on the "crumb rubber" controversy, click here.

If SB 47 becomes law as now amended, it would require LB's Parks & Rec Dept. to seek at least one alternative bid and hold at least one public hearing if LB Parks/Rec management were to seek to use "crumb rubber."

Developing...with further to follow on LBREPORT.com