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That is the question asked by NBC Investigations earlier this month. 

• 21 year old Casey Sullivan's x-rays showed stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma with a soccer ball-sized tumor.  He had started playing on crumb rubber turf, which is a synthetic made of recycled tires, as a soccer goalie at the age of 16. Goalies spend hours plunging onto the turf preventing opponent goals. Often small black particles from the turf get into goalies' mouths and into any abrasions they may get when lunging for soccer balls.
• Soccer coach, Amy Griffin, of the University of Washington made a list of 38 soccer players in the United States (34 goalies) who were known to have contracted cancer. She said, "I've coached for 26, 27 years.  My first 15 years, I never heard anything about this.  All of a sudden it seems to be a stream of kids."

Investigators have been unable to find agreement on whether the crumb rubber turf affects adversely young athletes or whether turf made from recycled tires has been tested sufficiently.

Nyedra Booker, PharmD, wrote in "Caution: Children At Play on Potentially Toxic Surfaces" for Cancer Prevention & Treatment Fund (October 2012), said that recycled tires are now the top choice of materials used in surfacing children's playgrounds.

The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) reports that close to 290 million scrap tires are generated every year. 28 million are ground up for various surfaces. It is believed that they make the playground surfaces less harmful to children should they fall.

What is Crumb Rubber?

The EPA defines 'crumb rubber' as that which is "recovered from scrap tires or from the tire retreading process". It is used in many ways, including road construction, athletic and recreational applications such as ground cover under playground equipment, running track material and as a soil additive on sports and playing fields.  Crumb rubber is also used to provide stability, uniformity and resilience to synthetic turf fields by being used as "infill" between the turf fibers. The EPA also reports that there is a "growing residential market".

The public is concerned following the NBC report which was broadcast on October 8, 2014.  One school, Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Washington, made a last minute change to its new football field which was due to open the following week.  They are swapping out the crumb rubber product for another product according to a CBS News report October 15.

Neither the EPA nor CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) have announced, as of this time, that they will conduct further investigations and/or testing of the crumb rubber product.

"As Defective Products Attorneys, we, at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P. A., are concerned by the potential risks associated with the crumb rubber product. Should you or a family member become ill as a result of coming in contact with crumb rubber turf, our team of product defect attorneys have the experience to assist you," says Attorney Randall Spivey.

Southwest Floirda Personal Injury Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.