A Los Angeles City Council committee on Friday gave the green light to a proposed motion calling for a possible citywide ban on artificial turf, citing environmental and health concerns.
The council’s Energy and Environment Committee approved the motion, which will see council members further study substances known to be present in the turf, such as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other ‘forever chemicals’.
While artificial grass is used in gardens to give that evergreen look, it is more common on recreational fields, schools and in the city.
The council will not only investigate PFAS and other chemicals found in artificial grass, but also the consequences for the environment.
During the public comment period at the committee meeting, Lisa Hart of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance criticized artificial turf.
“How did we get sold and bought into the idea that plastic grass is a good idea? Soil is an ecosystem full of life and teeming with a lot of things that I don’t understand that are connected to the sun and the rain,” Hart said.
The motion states that runoff from artificial turf, including rubber granules from tires and other materials used for cushioning, causes PFAS and other contaminants to leach into groundwater or enter waterways and the ocean, potentially contaminating drinking water.
Shaun Garrity, former chairman of the Synthetic Turf Council, expressed his support for the use of artificial turf. He said the industry has completely moved away from using PFAS on turf.
“It (synthetic grass) eliminates the need for irrigation, reducing water consumption and associated costs. In addition, artificial grass eliminates the need for harmful pesticides, fertilizers and fungicides – significantly reducing the water pollution caused by the toxic runoff of these chemicals reduced,” Garrity said.
Efforts to conserve water have fueled the popularity of artificial grass, but water is still sometimes used for cooling when temperatures are high.
The motion states that artificial grass contributes to the urban ‘heat island’ effect, which causes local temperatures to rise.
In 2023, the state of California passed legislation allowing local agencies to ban artificial turf on residential lots, repealing a 2015 state law that had approved artificial turf as a method of conserving water.
Dianne Woelke, board member of Safe Healthy Playing Fields, said: “This should be a no-brainer for anyone who cares about the climate crisis, children and clean, safe air – soil and water.”
In April 2024, the Biden administration, through the Environmental Protection Agency, classified PFAS and other “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances that pose a risk to human health. The EPA concluded that exposure to PFAS can lead to reproductive harm, developmental delays, and risks of some cancers.
Exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion, skin contact and exposure to mucous membranes, including microplastic dust that ends up on artificial grass pitches.
