As concerned students, teachers, parents, caregivers, community members, and scientists we urge the Montgomery County Council, the Montgomery County Board of Education, and Montgomery County Public Schools to:

• Initiate an RFP for installation and sustainable maintenance of state-of-the art natural grass fields for:
  • Old grass fields that need updating in all schools and; 
  • Existing artificial/plastic turf fields when they reach end of life use.
• Publicly post the RFP for natural grass fields and update the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year CIP budget to include these costs.
• Include sustainable natural grass maintenance costs in the 2026-2027 Operating Budget.
• Designate Watkins Mill, Spring Brook, Magruder, and Poolesville High Schools as pilots for implementing state-of-the art natural grass fields 
• Consult with MD SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD to support cost-effective, well maintained grass fields.
• Place a ban on any future installation of artificial/plastic turf in all school athletic fields.

These recommendations are in direct alignment with the MCPS Student Climate Action Council’s Artificial Turfs Report recommendations.

Natural grass fields are a safer, healthier, more sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to artificial/plastic turf.

Children and future generations have a right to a healthy, safe, and sustainable environment where they learn, play, and grow! We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment and reduce harm to the planet through evidence-based decision making. Natural grass prevents heat islands and exposure to hotter surface temperatures on school athletic fields. Natural grass also reduces GHG emissions from petrochemicals and acts as a carbon sink, in addition to preventing plastic and associated persistent, mobile, and harmful chemicals from contaminating the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land we live, learn, play, and grow our food on. 

Natural grass provides a more equitable environment for all including the most vulnerable.

The hazards introduced by artificial/plastic turf fields needlessly put our youth and the most vulnerable – including those suffering from chronic health conditions – at increased risk of harmful exposures while also limiting their playtime. Children and teenagers are much more physiologically and developmentally susceptible to heat and harmful chemical exposures even at low levels. Their bodies do not regulate temperature as well as healthy adults and they are still developing. Even older children and teens are more susceptible as their reproductive and nervous systems are still developing. Children and teens also spend more  time outdoors, breathing more air and drinking more water per body weight than adults, which puts them at risk of exposure to higher concentrations of toxic chemicals in their environments. 

In addition, some of the chemicals found in artificial/plastic turf can trigger asthma and exacerbate other respiratory, cardiovascular, and other chronic health conditions. This is an ADA compliance and equity issue, further limiting access to safer, healthier environments for more susceptible populations including our youth and those with chronic health conditions, as well!

Summary of the science and further resources 

Below is more on the science, providing studies and resources around the many risks artificial/plastic turf poses as well as why natural grass is a safer solution. We urge our County leadership to take a proactive, preventative, evidence-based approach to better protect our children and community from known environmental and health hazards that have been found in artificial/plastic turf. 

These recommendations also reflect the findings of more than a year of student-led research, site visits, and stakeholder interviews conducted through the MCPS Student Climate Action Council. In light of all of this, we strongly urge the Montgomery County Council, Montgomery County Public Schools, and the Board of Education to take a preventative approach to better protect and prioritize the health and well-being of our students and community.

Problems with artificial/plastic turf

Loss of green space:

• Artificial/plastic turf fields reduce our students' and communities' access to green space and take away from the many mental and physical health benefits of natural environments. The American Academy of Pediatrics points to the multiple potential benefits real green space provides for children’s mental health, cognitive development, and school performance.

Hotter temperatures create health risks:

• Artificial/plastic turf fields are significantly hotter than natural grass. In fact, surface temperatures have been found to be as hot as 120 to 180 degrees F on artificial/plastic turf.

Water use and drinking water contamination:

• Artificial/plastic turf often gets hotter and requires water to cool surface temperature, whereas sustainably managed natural grass reduces temperatures and irrigation needs by supporting healthy soil and root development, while also eliminating another potential source of plastic chemical contamination in our drinking water.

Chemicals found in artificial/plastic turf: 

• PFAS: Academic, non-profit, community, and industry tests have all found PFAS in the different components of artificial/plastic turf such as the plastic blades and carpet backing. One preliminary study also found increased amounts of PFAS on players’ skin after playing on artificial/plastic turf compared to no observed increase in those playing on natural grass,  which raises concerns over increased exposure via dermal absorption from artificial/plastic turf. 
• Plastic: As this surfacing ages it contributes to plastic pollution which migrates from the athletic fields into our air, soil, and water. Plastic artificial turf fibers have been found in storm drains, wetlands, and river and ocean water.
• GHG emissions: Artificial/Plastic turf production, use, and disposal contributes to increased GHGs emissions and global warming. Artificial/plastic surfacing also destroys healthy soil ecosystems and their ability to absorb more carbon out of the atmosphere, exacerbating the impacts of global warming. A new study by the U.S. federal government found that global plastic production is a major driver of climate change.
• Macro, micro and nanoplastics: Chemicals in macro, micro and nanoplastic that are hazardous to human health have been found in artificial/plastic turf. 
• Many other chemicals: A growing body of research provides evidence of the many carcinogenic and hormone disrupting chemicals, in addition to skin, eye, and respiratory irritants that can exacerbate asthma. These chemicals that have been found in the different components of artificial/plastic turf include but are not limited to microplastics, lead and other heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), bisphenols, phthalates, and PFAS.
• Allergens and respiratory irritants: The proposed new “organic” (plant-based) infill materials MCPS plans to use may contain dust, fungi, and allergens in respirable plant-based fibers that have the potential to trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks, as well as exacerbating other diseases and disabilities. 

Increased risk of injury:

• The increased risk of skin abrasions and associated infection have been identified as a hazard of artificial turf.
• A 2022 review of the literature found a higher incidence rate of lower extremity injuries on both old and new-generation artificial turf surfaces compared with natural grass surfaces.
• Higher rates of foot and ankle injuries have been found to be associated with both old and new-generation artificial/plastic turf.

Natural Grass is the Safer, Healthier, Sustainable Solution

Resources related to natural grass fields:

Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass: A Case Study of Environmental Effects, Health Risks, Safety, and Cost
Building an Organic Maintenance Program for Athletic Fields - Fact Sheet 2021
Natural Grass Playing Fields Case Study: Denison University, Granville, OH - Case study 2021
Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Southwest Pennsylvania - Case study 2021
Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Martha’s Vineyard, MA - Case study 2020
Natural Grass Playing Fields Case Study: Marblehead, MA - Case study 2019
Natural Grass Playing Field Case Study: Springfield, MA - Case study 2019
MD Soccerplex, (Executive Director, Matt Libber: mlibber@mdsoccerplex.org)

Relevant state and local laws restricting artificial/plastic turf:

Maryland State Laws: HB0457 and HB1147
Artificial Turf and Playgrounds: State Initiatives
Artificial Turf and Playgrounds: Municipal and Regional Initiatives

Economic benefits of natural grass fields vs artificial/plastic turf:

• Investing in our local businesses including such as landscaping and sustainably managed grass installation specialists and learning from them!
• Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass: A Case Study of Environmental Effects, Health Risks, Safety, and Cost
• Sports Turf Alternative Assessment: Cost-analysis, University of Massachusetts, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and Toxics Use Reduction Institute, 2016
   

In light of all of this, we strongly urge the Montgomery County Council, Montgomery County Public Schools, and the Board of Education to take a preventative approach to better protect and prioritize the health and well-being of our children and community.