Stamford High could get a state-funded synthetic field, but whether it’s safe is becoming a turf war

A plan to add a synthetic field at Stamford High School has received some push back because of environmental and safety concerns. The funding to install the multi-purpose field at the baseball field is not an issue. The State Bond Commission agreed to pay $3 million for the work. A letter from the Children’s Environment Health Center to the Stamford Board of Representatives questioned the safety of artificial playing fields, citing a study done by Mount Sinai and the Toxic Use Reduction Institute that found carcinogens in “all alternative infill materials examined.” FieldTurf has installed synthetic fields in multiple professional sports stadiums and even did the field at West Beach, Dyjak said. The company has also put in turf fields in Greenwich, about seven or eight in Norwalk and six in Westport, as well as all the athletic fields at Yale University. The idea for the new field at Stamford High came from the high school’s governance council, which submitted an application to the state in 2021 looking for funding. The state awarded $3 million to the school in 2022.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/stamford-high-synthetic-field-plan-sparks-17911283.php?src=sthpdesecp

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