Is Artificial Turf Safe for Your Kids and Pets?
Whether you're a parent or pet owner, safety is almost always a top priority. At MegaGrass, we value your safety as well as the safety of those around you. After all, our mission is to provide the best landscape solutions, which wouldn't be possible without factoring in safety precautions!
The first thing most people ask themselves when they see artificial grass is… “Is artificial turf safe for my children and pets?”
The simple answer is yes. However, a lot of people want to know just how safe it is. To understand this, we must first dig into the composition of artificial turf.
What is artificial grass made of?
Most artificial turfs are made of polyethylene. It’s the kind of plastic used to make children’s toys, grocery bags, and most common plastic household products. Polypropylene is also in the mix. This is commonly used for plastic utensils and microwavable containers. Nylon is also used for heat resistance.
Are the typical composition materials of artificial grass dangerous?
No.
Artificial grass is made from the same type of plastic that is used in common household products. We come into contact with these materials on a daily basis and there have been no proven harmful effects. If you think about it, turf is really just plastic. There's no extra harmful ingredients used to make it that would put your safety at risk.
What is artificial turf made up of?
Artificial turf is made up of three major parts:
1. Backing material that will serve to hold the individual blades of artificial grass
2. The plastic blades themselves.
3. The infill, those tiny black crumbs, that helps support the blades.”.
What makes them harmful?
In his article on the Washington Post, Shalat points out, “Various pigments are used to provide the green color of the blades. These can include lead or titanium for the white lines and still other metals for school logos on the field.
Those little black crumbs are the problems. Tires can be toxic.”
At MegaGrass, we professionally test all of our products to make sure they are 100% lead and latex free. We have all the testing certificates on our website to prove it as well. This is why even when customers choose not to purchase from us, we always tell them to make sure that whoever they are buying from has the appropriate testing completed to make sure they are buying safe turf products.
Is artificial turf safe for kids?
Yes, definitely! Crumb rubber made from the ground up recycled tires are the culprits that make artificial grass unsafe. These are the properties that give artificial grass such a bad reputation. The good news is: infill is optional. Also, there are natural alternatives to it, like crushed rocks. Artificial turf with toxic amounts of lead have usually been discontinued by turf manufacturers in recent times. We’ll discuss these more in-depth in the later paragraphs.
What’s important now is that you know that generally, the artificial grass blades are safe for your kids. You can definitely have artificial turf at home without crumb rubber endangering your lives. However, there is some low-quality turf grass out there. We don’t know what they’re made of, and we can’t vouch for them either. If you want to be sure that your kids are safe, go for manufacturers that pride themselves for being non-toxic and lead- free. If you're unsure, you can always ask them for the testing certificates!
Fortunately, there are brands that go above and beyond the general rule. By offering non-toxic, lead-free, toxin-free artificial grass, MegaGrass ensures not only your kids’ and pet's safety, but yours as well. We hired a non biased professional testing company to perform various tests on our turf, ranging from lead, UV, permeability, etc. to make sure our customers know they are getting the best products out there. Full transparency is key, which is why you can find all of our testing certificates on our website. At MegaGrass, we stand behind our products, which is why we offer free samples and offer a full 15 year warranty.
Is Artificial Turf Safe for Pets?
Our furbabies aren’t so different from our babies, are they? They’re all whiney poop machines who are constantly hungry for food and attention. But we love them all the same. If we could give them everything, we would. We want to know that an investment as big as artificial turf won’t be any harm to them. And hopefully, they’ll benefit from it as much as we will.
The key concern when it comes to pet safety for turf is lead. Nowadays, with so many options to choose from, many customers fall into the trap of choosing cheap turf suppliers with shady materials. Some turf suppliers use harmful materials in their turf in order to keep their prices lower, which can be terrible for the safety of your pets.
Does artificial turf cause cancer?
Studies show no conclusive evidence linking fake grass to cancer. However, there is a correlation between tire rubber crumbs and cancer risk. This is why we never recommend using rubber infill for artificial turf. A natural infill such as sand and stones is not only more aesthetic, but also safer.
Stay away from crumb rubber infills!
Hypothetically, these tiny pieces of rubber float in the air when the playing field is used by athletes. Much like dust resting on a book when you tap its cover, the dust spews into the air and into your lungs. Imagine a goalie diving to block a shot, rubber infill from underneath goes up in the air and into his face. He ingests them, or they stick to his skin. Since the rubbers are made from toxic materials, they negatively affect students and players on the field.
There’s also this:
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5615587/
PAH = polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This is a group of chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline.
According to this, tire playgrounds and pavers have high levels of several toxic chemicals found in the recycled materials. Crumb rubber in synthetic turf fields continuously releases significant toxic equivalents from evaporation. In 2017, House Bill 6998 attempted to prohibit the installation of ground cover with shredded or ground rubber. Westport, Connecticut passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of synthetic infills on playing fields of town property. This was passed in late 2018.
So why even risk it? You’re going to invest in your family time, picnics, and weekend activities. There’s no reason compelling enough for you to choose a known cesspool of toxic materials like crumbed rubber tires to lie on. Choose better materials, like quartz, sands and broken down stones.
Is synthetic grass a cancer risk?
It’s not! If anything, the recycled tire rubbers being used for infill are the main suspects. Tires come from a mix of synthetic and natural rubber, carbon black (a petroleum-based material) and 4-10 gallons of petroleum products. Metals like cadmium, lead (neurotoxic! It’s harmful to your brain!) and zinc are also present. Some chemicals like dibenzopyrenes are also known carcinogens.
Even the chemicals the tires are exposed to during its life can also have a hand in its toxicity. 11 out of 92 chemicals found within crumb rubber have been identified as known or suspected carcinogens. Having this in your yard is a sure fire way to poison yourself. The good news is: rubber infills are optional and there are better alternatives. At MegaGrass, we offer sand and broken down rocks instead, which completely eliminate any safety hazards when it comes to turf.
So, is artificial grass toxic?
Generally, no. But of course, there is subpar quality synthetic grass in the market. These are dangerous! These can have unhealthy amounts of toxins and lead. And since they’re made with cheap materials, you have no guarantee that they weren’t made out of poisonous substances.
Are there synthetic grass in the market which are perfectly safe for you and your family?
Why yes, of course! You can do away with crumb rubber infill. You can drop unnecessary risks. Go for natural alternatives!
What is the best artificial grass for kids and pets?
MegaGrass offers toxin and lead-free products! Plus, it’s eco-friendly too! We don’t offer crumb rubber as infill; we go with sand and stone, which are all natural and already in the environment! If you're interested in our infills, feel free to request samples! You can sleep at night knowing that everything is okay for both your family and pets!