Nicole Anagnos: Not a Risk I am Willing to Take

Dear Members of the Mt. Greylock School Committee, I know by this point you have heard all the arguments against turf repeated again and again. I am not going to talk about the environment or the financial aspect of this turf. I reach out to you today as a concerned parent.  When we are talking about toxic materials like the crumb rubber infill in the artificial turf, it is the repeated exposure to our children that is harmful. This is why playing an occasional away game on turf isn’t as concerning as banking hours each week and sometimes hours every day. The concern is kids being on this turf in PE and then again after school in sports. 

Toxins are cumulative. Our children are already exposed to many worrisome toxins throughout their day that their body is constantly working to detox. Adding this huge toxic load to their system is dangerous.

We can improve our fields so the children can remain on grass and get that outdoor, fresh air time they need. It may mean missing a day or two here and there for rain, but that’s okay. We owe it to our kids to think of their long term health. 

I’ve heard arguments for the turf that include, “You can’t keep your kids in a bubble”, and “We’re all going to die sometime.” I attended Mt. Greylock in the years that jet fuel ran through our water. The many kids that got sick and live with life long illness now didn’t even start to show signs until they were in their 30s.

It’s not worth the risk for a few extra hours of lacrosse in the spring.  Putting our kids on artificial turf and crumb rubber every day is making them all guinea pigs now in the ongoing study to prove without a doubt that artificial turf and crumb rubber components are cancer causing. It’s not a risk I am willing to take with my own children and you shouldn’t be willing to take it with yours.

Thank your for your time,

Nicole Anagnos

Parent of two eighth grade students

M.Ed Health & Nutrition Educator Board Certified, AADP