INDEPENDENT LAB TESTS SHOW NO DETECTABLE LEAD, HEAVY METALS IN TIGERTURF SYNTHETIC TURF PRODUCTS

TigerTurf, one of the world’s leading synthetic turf manufacturers, recently chose to test its products with an independent lab and consultant in light of recent news stories about the discovery of potentially dangerous lead levels in synthetic turf.

“The incidence of lead levels in synthetic turf products is alarming to us and to concerned parents everywhere,” said Charles Fleishman, director, TigerTurf Americas. “We chose to test our own products, using stringent analytical testing and standards to ensure safety and compliance.”

The results of a rigorous, RCRA (Resource Conservation Recovery Act) hazardous waste heavy metals testing program – including lead – by an independent, certified lab have revealed “no detectable traces of lead or heavy metals” in any of the company’s current synthetic turf products.

Kathy S. Jones, a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) and certified asbestos consultant (CAC) with Health Science Associates and a California Department of Public Healthcertified lead inspector and assessor, directed the testing of more than 60 current TigerTurf synthetic turf systems and components, including colors, for the company’s sports field and all TigerExpress residential and commercial landscape applications.

This stringent, analytical and comprehensive testing included hot, concentrated acid digestion, followed by an analysis of elements using stringent, EPA-approved tests for arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium, silver and mercury that included Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (CVAA) – the EPA’s 7471A test for mercury.

“The test methods used are the most precise and accurate measure of the amount of lead and other elements in a product, and they are the hardest to pass,” said Jones. “The results from these analyses demonstrated no detectable heavy metal levels for the elements analyzed, including lead.”

According to Jones, these testing methods are the most comprehensive, superseding more subtle and commonly-used testing methods, such as the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and lead wipe tests, which are not always indicative of the true lead levels in synthetic turf products.

All tests were conducted at LA Testing’s Los Alamitos Laboratory, an independent facility that is accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the California Department of Health Services Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP), among others.

Beyond independent testing, TigerTurf will continue to require a certificate of compliance with these standards from all of its suppliers with regards to lead and heavy metals. For more information, contact us at 512-782-8175.