Research by the National Toxicology Program shows that high heat can cause chemicals to leach out of the crumb rubber base of synthetic turf, which is made of recycled tires. These leached chemicals are known to cause cell death in humans.
Synthetic turf, like other artificial surfaces including asphalt and pavement, heats up by several degrees more than living lawns.
According to Kelly Turner, associate director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation’s Heat Equity Initiative, the material can trap heat and radiate it back slowly, staying warm for longer periods of time.
“It is one of the hottest surface materials,” she said. “It is hotter than asphalt.”
Janet Hartin, horticulture expert at UC Extension in Los Angeles County, measured various types of surfaces in Palm Springs, where air temperatures around 100˚F are common during the summer.
On days around 100˚F or more, she reported temperatures of synthetic turf and other artificial substances around 175˚F.
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