Monday, August 11, 2008

DeLauro rejects turf study's claims of safety

The NHRs Abram Katz is reporting that US Rep. Rosa DeLauro is none-too-pleased with a recent report that asserts turf fields are safe:

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro , D-Conn., has fired off a salvo of letters to the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency and the Environmental Proctection Agency for performing a perfunctory study of artificial turf, including crumb rubber that contains traces of potential cancer-causing chemicals.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced that the fields are safe, after testing small samples of four artificial fields for lead.

Late last week DeLauro sent a lengthy criticism of the study to the acting chairwoman of the CPSC, Nancy A. Nord, contending that the analysis was circumspect, inadequate and failed to look for the most dangerous compounds.


Tim White

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

But the turf is good for Cheshire!
I can't wait for the first of many lawsuits that come from kids who develop illnesses as a direct casue from turf.
I get tired of the pool families who want to keep dumping money into the pool and the football families who feel it is their "right" to have the town give them turf.
At what point do we hold them responsible for the costs?

Anonymous said...

How did uber-environmentalist Elizabeth Esty vote for the turf then?

You know, just because you went to famous colleges doesn't mean you can't be a phony

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth Esty is far from being an environmentalist and the same can be said of her husband.

She voted for the mall and did everything she could to insure it's approval. 37 acres of concrete, asphalt and roofing. Neither she or her husband ever attended any of the P&Z or Inland Wetland session to voice concern about properly protecting the 10 mile river or any other environmental aspect.

Here we have a one term council person who is using her presence on the council to try to jump to state representative. She certainly would like to get it and never have to look back at wreckage she left behind.

Anonymous said...

she'll probably follow in Chris Murphy's footsteps and move to another town to run for Congress after a term or two

Anonymous said...

At least Rosa DeLauro has some sense. She's concerned about the chemicals in the artificial turf and their effects.

Ecke said in a recent news article that the food we eat contains lots of chemicals. Is he saying that's a good thing? People don't want the chemicals and the food industry is changing or at least there are choices out there to avoid chemicals in foods.

Perhaps at the next council meeting instead of drinks and snacks, the councilors in favor of turf could be served up a nice big hot bowl of crumb rubber.

Anonymous said...

Ever wonder why the 3M company no longer makes teflon-coated pans?

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:36

Interesting comment. There is another lubricant named Krytox that was used in the computer industry for years. The difference between Krytox and Teflon was only one small molecule in the chemical chain. Krytox could be placed in in a cigarette and when heated through the process of smoking the by product was a phosgene gas and one would die immediately. If one heats a teflon pan to high and the surface melts you have phosgene gas/slush and the results are the same. Yes Virginia there is a reason that Teflon has been slowly removed without fanfare from our lives.

Anonymous said...

wikipedia does not mention any teflon phase out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene

Anonymous said...

According to the New York Times - - -

January 26, 2006
E.P.A. Seeks to Phase Out a Toxic Chemical
By MICHAEL JANOFSKY
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 — The Environmental Protection Agency has asked DuPont and seven other chemical companies to stop using a toxic substance in the making of everyday products, including Teflon-coated pans, that has been linked in some studies to cancer, strokes and other health problems.
Announcing the voluntary program, officials of the agency said Wednesday that full compliance by the companies and their overseas affiliates would lead to a 95 percent reduction by 2010 in use of the substance, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and to their total elimination by 2015.
DuPont immediately pledged to join the program, saying it had already reduced its PFOA manufacturing emissions by 94 percent and had developed new technologies that could reduce PFOA content in products by more than 97 percent. The other companies are expected to commit to the program as well. They are 3M/Dyneon, Arkema, Asahi, Ciba, Clariant, Daikin and Solvay Solexis.
PFOA makes high-performance plastics resistant to fire, grease and stains. Its presence may be best known in Teflon, made by DuPont, but it is also found in fabrics, leather, automobile parts, wire insulation and microwave popcorn bags.
Uncertainties still surround the way PFOA exposure affects humans, and as part of the new program, the companies will provide test data so that those questions can be explored.
"The science is still coming in, but the concern is there, so acting now to minimize future releases of PFOA is the right thing to do," said Susan B. Hazen, acting assistant administrator of the agency's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.

• Copyright 2006The New York Times Company

Anonymous said...

The turf ad hoc committee was supposed to announce their meetings through the TC and they were open to the public.

Apparently they had their first meeting Monday, Aug. 11th. How many people even knew about it?

So much for dissemination of information.

Anonymous said...

Apparently they had their first meeting Monday, Aug. 11th.

I also heard that mentioned for the first time last night.

How many people even knew about it?

These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.

Anonymous said...

If you read the article in the 8/14 Cheshire Herald, it's obvious the only unbiased people on the turf ad hoc committee are Gerry Brittingham and DeVylder. All the others have just one thing on their minds which is to get the turf approved no matter what.

Anonymous said...

Did the BOE pick this group? If all financial decision are to be made by the TC are they the ones that should have pick the group? Someone check the charter please.