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MAHA, you gotta be good for something. While Trump ravages our National Parks and planet, re-allows PFAS in our water and sewage, too…maybe you could accomplish one thing? Here’s your assignment: get rid of artificial turf on playgrounds.
When I was a kid, we all played on grass. Yes, it takes water. But it also gives it back, cooling fields and neighborhoods. It’s probably the one good use for grass, and you can use a low water grass with clover so it’s good for bees and our planet, if you care.
But these days, on my junior high, on my elementary school, at colleges and universities everywhere, at pro sports stadiums…huge rolls of plastic, that take tons of resources, are rolled out, then rolled up and trashed after a few years of wear. They’re made out of toxic planet-heating plastic petroleum, and…they’re deadly.
“Artificial turf often contains PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and can cause health problems, and these chemicals can leach into the soil and water, posing potential risks to human health and the environment.”
There is no such thing as PFAS free synthetic turf: https://gridphilly.com/blog-home/2024/07/01/there-is-no-such-thing-as-pfas-free-synthetic-turf-the-city-is-installing-it-anyway/
Athletes suffer when they play on artifical turf: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/15/athletes-higher-pfas-levels-artificial-turf
“Testing by the Philadelphia Inquirer found 16 types of PFAS in the artificial turf used at Veterans Field between 1977 and 1981, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), two of the most well-studied and perilous of the thousands of PFAS being used.”
“Artificial turf potentially linked to cancer deaths of six Phillies ball players – report
The lawn replacement – largely fallen out of favor in professional sports these days – contains large amounts of toxic chemicals: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/10/phillies-ball-players-cancer-artifical-turf
Also, dear MAHA, yoga teachers who voted for Trump, etc: I don’t hate you, but I hate what you enabled.
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