Tests have found lead in artificial fields around the Valley. A school playground has been shut down to students and a Las Vegas city park has been cordoned off. Some of this action was prompted by a News 3 investigation.
The Healthline 3 Team has been investigating the safety of artificial fields for weeks. In fact, they had several turf samples tested. The tests are raising concern at one local school, but the experts say we shouldn't panic just yet.
A lot of kids play on the field at Henderson International's Windmill campus. So the Healthline 3 Team asked if it could test the fake grass for possible lead. "And when I was offered the opportunity to have you come out and test my field, I said that's the bottom line, we have to find out," Ron Bennett with Henderson International School said. "The safety of the children is the number one priority, so let's find out."
The concern stems from a story out of New Jersey. Numerous fields in the northeast have been closed after lead was detected in artificial turf.
The City of Las Vegas also decided to be proactive and test some of its fields. "It could have been easy to wait and say, 'no, we'll wait and see what other people do.' But we wanted to go ahead and be sure," Larry Haugsness, the city's Director of Field Operations, said.
And the city did find lead in the turf near a playground at Firefighters Memorial Park. A section of artificial turf is already blocked off. The city says it will most likely be removed. There are 22 locations within the city of Las Vegas that have artificial turf. After finding lead at Firefighters Memorial Park, the city is testing all of its fields.
Artificial grass certainly isn't confined to the city limits. It's all over the Valley: at schools, on athletic fields, and in backyards.
The recent national stories worry some parents. Young children are most at risk from lead exposure. Because of the concern, we took four grass samples to Silver State Lab for testing. Two of the four came back positive for lead.
One of those samples was from Henderson International School, the other from a backyard. The lab found a significant amount of lead in the school's nylon turf.
However, experts say the children are probably not in immediate danger. "For the most part, the lead should stay in the nylon, it should not come out," Dr. Tony Francis with Silver State Analytical Laboratories explains. "There can be some dust, some wear and tear that can release it, but that's the unknown variable."
Shawn Gerstenberger is a lead expert at UNLV. He does lead testing for the Southern Nevada Health District and the EPA. "Obviously, anytime you see levels above EPA standards, you're concerned," Gerstenberger said.
However, both scientists agree further testing is warranted. "I would encourage people to wait for some data so we can make good decisions," Dr. Francis said. "I think the schools and other places probably will be cooperative, because certainly they don't want to harm kids. Their mission in life is to help them," said Gerstenberger.
That's certainly the feeling at Henderson International. Administrators there closed down their turf immediately after getting our test results.
Of course, Healthline 3 will continue to investigate and the federal government is also looking into turf safety. But again, the experts are saying people should not take this story as a cue to rip out their artificial grass. In fact, if there is lead dust present, it needs to be handled carefully.
Lead is only dangerous if it enters the body. This can happen if it's ingested or inhaled. Lead will not harm your skin.
Of course the question with this grass is whether it will break down over time and release lead dust. Synlawn, the company which manufactured the grass at Henderson International, says the lead chromate will not get out.
We've been talking to experts at UNLV and Sunrise Children's Hospital about lead exposure. They tell us it's most dangerous for kids under the age of 6. Lead poisoning is often asymptomatic, meaning there are no symptoms until the case is severe.
Doctors can check for lead poisoning with a blood test and often treat it. But if not detected, the results can be extremely serious. "If it's profound over time, they can develop dysfunction of the brain, they can develop seizures, they can develop coma as a result of severe lead exposure," Dr. Jim Swift with Sunrise Children's Hospital said.
Lead does occur naturally in the environment. It's only problematic at higher than normal levels. Cases of lead poisoning are less common since lead paint was banned in the United States in 1978.
