WESTFIELD—Ward one city councilor Mary Ann Babinski is looking into the possibility of a moratorium on synthetic fields, particularly those that use scrap tire material, a.k.a. crumb rubber, on public and city-owned property.
The moratorium comes as some residents, including Babinski, have voiced concerns over potential health effects that chemicals in the product could have, and would aim to give the city more time to gather information and research, which Babinski said has had mixed findings to this point. The motion was brought out of the natural resources committee of city council, which Babinski chairs, and she recently presented it to the Westfield city council to look into a three-year moratorium. It was sent back to committee and further discussed during a recent city council natural resources committee meeting.
“Even though experts disagree, I would rather err on the side of caution until other studies are done because it’s an unnecessary risk until we have more facts,” Babinski said on the use of the product.
“In the process of doing some investigation and addressing what is out there so far, we found some studies that said there was nothing to worry about, nothing significant, and there are some studies that show there are health concerns possible,” she added.
Babinski added in an email, “In my opinion, if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are continuing their joint study into environmental and health concerns with recycled tire crumb, it would be a smart move to wait for definitive answers and pass this moratorium.”
Babinski said that part of the concern comes as she works on strengthening ordinances for the water resource district zoning within the city. She is concerned that the potential for chemicals to leach off of the infill, such as the crumb rubber, into water systems could be one possible health risk.
Ward one city councilor Mary Ann Babinski
“We should consider whether or how we address it because we don’t want to put another contaminant into our aquifer,” she said.
According to Babinski in an email regarding the motion, which was proposed in city council’s natural resources committee earlier this month, reads:
“That the City of Westfield institute a 3 year moratorium, effective immediately, on the construction and/or installation of any synthetic turf (monofilament carpet with infill), any surface covering of poured or loose fill, and any fabricated surface material, including but not limited to athletic fields, playgrounds, mulch, and pavers made from scrap tire derived materials on any publicly owned and/or managed land, of any size, within City limits.”
Babinski said that she is currently working with the city’s law department to try and craft the possible motion and resolution, which would still need to be voted on in natural resources committee and the city council as a whole. She also said that it would tentatively only apply to public land and the timing and other portions of it may be modified.
Attempts by The Westfield News to get the law department’s comments on the matter have been unsuccessful to this point.
Babinski said that Westfield would not be the first community in the state to have a moratorium on the product if successful. Last year, residents in Concord, Massachusetts, voted to approve a three-year moratorium on artificial turfs with crumb rubber infill on city-owned property.
Previously, the city’s board of health decided to not take any action on crumb rubber use within the city during their May 17 meeting. During that meeting though, director of public health Joe Rouse said that the topic would “stay on our radar.”
