PSA: Hazardous Material Safety Data Sheets Ludington Schools Won't Share with You

[XLFD]

During the Ludington School Board's regular March meeting, this reporter commented for about three minutes on the scary future for our healthy children because the board has invested nearly $1.4 million to put in Astroturf at Oriole Field for their football and soccer teams, it included in part:

"... A 2019 report looking at the chemical composition of crumb rubber, the infill used in artificial turf, found that of the 306 chemicals within it, 197 met carcinogenicity criteria, 52 of those were suspected carcinogens, five were high-priority carcinogens, including benzene, benzidine, benzopyrene, trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride.  This board by its own laws says it's concerned for our children's safety and will identify potential sources of toxic hazards and protect them from these hazards.  So where are the material safety data sheets on these, as I recently requested thru FOIA?"

I had previously asked Superintendent Corlett for the material safety data sheets (MSDSs) supplied by the Astroturf Company relating to the introduction of these chemicals onto the grounds of Oriole Field.  They are required in their bylaws to have a special officer to collect and maintain MSDSs for any hazardous or toxic material that will be used, stored, and/or introduced, onto the school district's campus.  They had nothing to give me.

Similarly, I sent a FOIA request to the city asking for: 1) any written records from the city manager's office approving the installation of artificial turf by the LASD for the main football field at Oriole Field.  2) any records from the Recreation Board or Planning Commission approving/recommending the installation of artificial turf at Oriole Field.  I reasoned that:

"...Oriole Field is defined as a "park" as per sec. 38-62 of the LCC.  Under sec. 38-67 of the LCC "No person shall in any city park do or cause to be done any of the following without first obtaining a permit from the director: (2) Willfully dig, cut, move or remove from any park or park area any sand, wood, turf, grass, gravel, shrub or other material or make any excavation by hand, tool, equipment, blasting or any other means."  By definition found in 38-62, you or your designee are the director, if the LASD Board has not sought your blessing before their vote last night, then they have aspired to violate this section of the city code.

If you subsequently approve this use of the park, you must be made aware of the potential environmental and health hazards associated with installing artificial turf and the effects it may have on our delicate watershed and neighboring properties.  The LCC section 38-31 gives the Recreation Board responsibilities: "It shall be the duty of the department of recreation to operate a system of public recreation suitable to the needs of the city, including to the extent deemed necessary the supervision and maintenance of... playfields".  This suggests that the Recreation Board should be reviewing the effects that the installation of Astroturf will have and balance that with the needs of the city.  As the installation of turf over a significant area of land where natural grass was before may go contrary to the master plan of the city as I read it, the Planning Commission should also be involved with reviewing the project and holding a public hearing on it for benefit of the neighboring properties and community.

Neglect of the city's duties in this matter could subject the city to future liability to claims for the environmental damages and health hazards to our children that this Astroturf may, or be perceived to, cause.  Owning up to the duties will quell some of the concerns of the citizenry in this matter if a determination can be made suggesting that the installation, use, and eventual removal of the astroturf can be done safely in terms of our health and environment."

I received back a denial with the city attorney and superintendent as co-recipients where it said, in full:  "I have never received or created anything regarding an artificial turn (sic) at the football field nor has the Planning Commission or Recreation Board."  There was no further indication that any of them had any plan of looking into any of the concerns therein that suggested he and other city and school entities had duties that were being ignored.  Having mulled this over, I felt it was my job as a civic duty to the good people of Ludington and our future generations to offer MSDSs on at least the five carcinogens they are intent on introducing into our environment unchecked and totally unregulated, because they refuse to act in any way other than to rush these poisons into our community.

The above collage of photographs illustrates exactly what the problem is.  The manufacturers and installers of these killing fields know exactly how dangerous their product is, but market their product as if it's absolutely harmless and the best thing ever.  Officials blithely parrot their claims and don't do any additional research.  If the product is safe, how come their people are wearing all of that protective equipment when installing or maintaining their fields?  Then the collage shows us how the crumb rubber particles, dust, and microparticles are kicked up while young kids are playing on it. 

This not only gets inhaled and ingested at times by, for example, goalies making saves and running backs getting tackled, it can also get into the child's bloodstream, since 'turf burn' and similar cuts and abrasions are about 40 times more likely to happen on turf.  This would allow for potential absorption and even injection into the bloodstream, meaning that the carcinogens noted can affect kids through all four exposure methods.

So without further ado, let's take a look at the five known carcinogens and relevant parts of their data sheets that our city and school leaders have decided not to look at before making a rash decision to expose our children to them. 

TRICHLOROETHYLENE

BENZOPYRENE

BENZIDINE

BENZENE

VINYL CHLORIDE

These chemicals seem to have another thing in common beyond being in the infill of our coming artificial turf and being toxic carcinogens-- they all seem to do bad things when they get into the water systems.  It's not as if Oriole Field is 1200 ft. away from Lake Michigan and even closer to the Water Treatment Plant who draws water from Lake Michigan that is drank throughout Mason County by more than just our sacrificial children.

So what harm could a little vinyl chloride do to our quiet community?  We might be able to find that out soon thanks to the train derailment that happened down in East Palestine, Ohio and was carrying industrial sized quantities.  Of the 50 cars that were affected during the February 3, 2023 derailment, 5 were carrying vinyl chloride (six were carrying other hazardous chemicals) which have leaked into the small streams and storm drains in the area. Countless animals have been found dead in the vicinity of the spill.  

Sadly, the train wreck we will be experiencing here in Ludington's future will be solely due to a bunch of city and school officials neglecting their duty to keep our future generations safe and healthy.

[Willy]

Excellent article X. The water table for land near Lake michigan is quite shallow. Many basements on the west side of Ludington have water problems being closer to Lake Michigan. Like digging into the sand near the beach. You don't have to go very deep and the hole fills up with water. Where is the runoff from Oriels  artificial field draining  to. The thinking behind this field makes no sense. The possibility of creating a health and environmental hazard seems likely and we are being forced to pay 1.4 million dollars to create it. We seem to have a bunch of children running the school system.

[XLFD]

Thanks for that graphic, Willy, let me offer another one showing the topology of the area in question and note that Oriole Field is 186 m. above sea level and that Lake Michigan comes in at 179 m and that there is a general decline on the way to the lake, but that as close as 100 yards to the lake, you are still at 185 m, then it drops roughly 20 ft. in the last 100 yards.

Thus, one would think groundwater is around 23 ft. below Oriole Field so one could hope under normal conditions that the bad stuff in the infill might not go down that far lest it dissolves in water able to make that downward journey.  Yet, if rain in the area reached a volume where it couldn't be infiltrated, the runoff would shoot down from the water tower hill, over Oriole Field and down into the big lake, bringing some of that infill along with them.  Fake grass generates more runoff according to studies.

Of course, if runoff is forming, you're likely to find that the unsaturated zone is temporarily deluged and those potentially toxic solutions might hit the groundwater under the field.  Hope our water plant can filter out those toxins when it draws them in.

[Freedom Seeker]

Very well researched, X. I wish the LASD Board and city officials had a fraction of the passion for research and doing what is right, as you do.

[XLFD]

Unfortunately, public officials with a fraction of that capacity-- like Angela Serna-- get roundly battered by their fellow officials for showing passion and conducting their own research.  The doom of our area will lie in the homogeneity of thought and aphantasia displayed by our current councilors and the lack of principled and sustainable direction from our city's administrators.