Not so fast TenCate grass...we've got some questions

By Stephanie Boyd: I recently had a conversation with a representative of TenCate. He called me in response to my having filled out the Contact Us form on the company website. We had a long conversation about PFAS in turf grass, the company history, and the meaning of "recyclable".

You might be wondering why I contacted Tencate. At the last meeting of the School Committee, (January 9, 2020), a report, by local engineer John Dupras, was presented that included a TenCate disclaimer related to PFAS. Here it is.

So, why should we be concerned then? In October 2019, the Boston Globe reported on findings of PFAS in the grass of a discarded artificial turf field. PFAS are a group of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances that have been associated with contaminated water. Since the article appeared, many parents and schools have been trying to understand the situation and the potential risks to users and the environment. In response, companies including TenCate have published disclaimers, and are attempting to discredit the testing methodology used.

During my conversation with the TenCate representative, he told me he had spoken to the employees in the TenCate manufacturing plant and they had confirmed that they don't use PFAS. But TenCate has not done any testing to verify that the products are in fact PFAS free, nor do they have any 3rd party certifications supporting this claim.

TenCate also makes other products, including fire retardants, bullet proof vests, and wicking materials for sportswear. Fire retardants, particularly those used by the military, and wicking materials, typically incorporate the use of PFOAs and PFOs, which are part of the PFAS family of chemicals.

PFAS have been ubiquitous in the carpet industry. In recent years the industry has been working to get PFAS out of their products. PFAS chemicals have been used in carpets and furniture as stain and/or water repellents. You could very likely have them in your home. You can find more about PFAS and carpeting here.

The TenCate disclaimer says: "we are currently in the process of confirming that none of our suppliers' products contain PFOS or PFOA material." So of course, I questioned the TenCate representative about their suppliers. He was not able to confirm that their suppliers products were PFAS free.

Look at the chart above from the TENCATE Annual Report 2013. You'll see that the suppliers are listed as: chemical suppliers, polymer suppliers, fibre suppliers and fabric suppliers. And the raw materials are: chemicals, polymers, and glass. Without confirmation from suppliers, it is hard to be confident that these materials are PFAS free.

The disclaimer states: "TenCate products fully comply with the most stringent environmental standards in the world, California's Prop 65..." The cited California Prop 65 standard doesn't necessarily mean that there are no PFAS. California's Prop 65, maintains a list of chemicals, currently about 900, that are known to be hazardous. It is not an exhaustive list of all hazardous chemicals. (There are thousands of chemicals in the PFAS family alone, they are not all listed in Cal Prop 65). According to Cal Prop 65, any company that sells a product in California that contains one of the listed chemicals must put a warning label on their packaging. Prop 65 is not a certification that the product does not contain a hazardous or toxic material.

Given the dangers and public concern associated with PFAS, industry chemists are working to design replacements. Several studies suggest some of the replacement polymers may be just as hazardous although publicly available information on most replacement chemicals is limited. And with thousands of chemicals in this group, we are unlikely to get the full story soon.

States are just beginning to make regulations about this group of toxins. The EPA comments: "Its important to note that certain PFAS chemicals are no longer manufactured in the United States as a result of phase outs including the PFOA Stewardship Program in which eight major chemical manufacturers agreed to eliminate the use of PFOA and PFOA-related chemicals in their products and as emissions from their facilities. Although PFOA and PFOS are no longer manufactured in the United States, they are still produced internationally and can be imported into the United States in consumer goods such as carpet, leather and apparel, textiles, paper and packaging, coatings, rubber and plastics." Source: EPA

So, we might assume, then, that new products will be more likely to be PFAS-free. However, PFAS are manufactured globally. Recently increased production of PFOA and related PFAS in China, India, and Russia may potentially offset the global reduction anticipated with the U.S. phase-out See report.

It's a real challenge to figure out what chemicals are in artificial grass. Astroturf, a well-known producer of artificial grass, describers their process: "Our polymer chemistry and in-house masterbatch formulation make the real difference. To our knowledge, no other turf manufacturer takes back the chain of control to this critical step. The masterbatch is like the DNA of the fibers. Masterbatch is the “special sauce” that contains the UV stabilizers, color, heat resistance and other critical factors that influence the performance of the fibers."

Where does this leave us? It is possible that TenCate grass carpet does not contain PFAS or related chemicals. However, their disclaimer can not be taken as evidence of this. Moreover, since the school cannot specify any particular vendor's product in the project specifications, it is even more of a challenge to ensure that the materials used in a turf field will be free of these hazardous chemicals.

These are nasty chemicals, even in miniscule quantities. Our government is working to eliminate their production. They are even more hazardous to workers in plants that use them, or to the communities where these plants are located, than they would be to end-users of the field. But I think we need assurances that they aren't being produced on our behalf.

What do you think?