Battles over artificial turf fields being waged in New Jersey communities
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. -- Debates over artificial turf in several New Jersey towns are gaining steam, with neighbors expressing concerns.
People in one Bergen County town told CBS New York investigative reporter Tim McNicholas they're fighting it aggressively.
There are similar concerns and battles brewing right now in Westfield and Scotch Plains, but it's only in one town, Ridgewood, where an artificial turf field is being considered on a historic property.
The signs lining West Saddle River Road tell two very different stories. One from the village boasts of a beautiful new park in the works with a sports field. But the neighbors who posted "develop, don't destroy" signs on their front lawns see it differently.
"I think it's horrendous what the council has been proposing to do," Ridgewood resident Susan Ruane said.
"It's not an appropriate place to put an artificial turf field," Cynthia O'Keefe added.
The village is considering building the ballfield alongside a 19th century home listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. But the residents instead want a smaller grass field to be built on the unused space.
"I'm completely against turf. Everything I read just makes it seem like it's very dangerous," Ridgewood Councilwoman Lorraine Reynolds said.
Parents and athletes across the country have questioned the safety of artificial turf, ranging from concerns over whether the turf can cause more athlete injuries, to whether the rubber crumbs in the turf can create health hazards when ingested.
CBS New York has learned of similar fights in Westfield and in Scotch Plains, where a doctor with Mount Sinai's Children's Environmental Health Center wrote a letter to the town council discouraging the plan due to "uncertainties surrounding the safety ... and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures."
The EPA says studies have not shown an elevated health risk, but the studies have been limited.
Ridgewood Village Manager Keith Kazmark said artificial turf can be easier to maintain.
"From a recreation standpoint, obviously there is a public benefit to that, but, of course, you know, residents who live in that neighborhood need to be heard and the council needs to make the decision that's right for Ridgewood," Kazmark said.
And the mayor of Ridgewood said the village is looking into whether some kinds of turf might be safer than others.
"Communities across the country are choosing synthetic turf fields because they provide year-round access and a consistent playing surface. Our community members know that as a highly studied product, synthetic turf is safe and has the added bonus of eliminating the needs for chemical pesticides and fertilizers, as well as saving hundreds of thousands of gallons of water," the Synthetic Turf Council said in a statement. "A typical synthetic turf field can provide many more hours of play than a grass field and one group in New Jersey concluded it can cost six times less to maintain than grass."
Neighbors of the site are concerned about potentially harmful chemical in many artificial fields called PFAs.
"Many of us have private well water. So artificial turf, the PFAs will go right into the ground water and into our drinking water," O'Keefe said.
The village manager said he is looking into those concerns with the Water Department.
