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STOP COVERING OUR PARKS WITH TOXIC PLASTIC!
THIS IS A CRYING CRIME AGAINST OUR ENVIRONMENT
THIS IS A CRYING CRIME AGAINST OUR ENVIRONMENT
While the City of New York is creating legislation to reach zero emission by 2050 with Local Law 97 by regulating building emissions, and while the city is also restricting the use of plastic shopping bags to reduce the amount of plastic in the landfills, the Parks & Recreation is covering 68,000 square feet of park space with plastic.
Whether containing PFAS or not plastic fields are toxic. With usage the plastic breaks into microplastic that will circulate liberally in the surrounding environment and in the players bodies. Additionally, this field, which is located on a floodplain, will regularly be treated with several toxic chemicals, from fire retardants to herbicides, from mold inhibitors to fungus inhibitors, from pesticides to disinfectants. All these toxic chemical products will wash out in the Hudson River and the saltmarsh at each rainfall.
Dr. William P. de Haan from the Faculty of Earth and Ocean Sciences, at the University of Barcelona, Spain, in a Collaborative for Health & Environment study dated September 18, 2024 warns us of the dangerous levels of microplastic found in ocean and rivers. As the image clearly shows about 15% is coming from filaments of artificial turfs, clearly identifiable by the green color. These plastics end up inside the seafood we eat.
(Click on the picture to access the full study)
is part of the last natural forest in New York City, an intrinsic part of a very sophisticated ecological environment. Located in the path of the north eastern birds migration, thousands of birds stop here during their migration to restore and replenish. Among others are Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, etc.
Synthetic grass has been touted to be cheaper than real grass to maintain. Here is the reality according to Cornell University Sports Field Management:
Some basic practices must be made on a routine basis to protect your investment including:
Dyckman fields is located in a floodplain, which means subject to flood.
Synthetic grass can suffer various damages when exposed to floodwaters. Here are some potential issues:
From The Philadelphia Enquirer: 'Forever Fields: How Pennsylvania became a dumping field for discarded artificial turf'. Danish company Re-Match secured state incentives to open a recycling site in 2022. It hasn't happened. Meanwhile thousands of rolls of fake grass are piled up on farms
Inwood fields are a natural habitat for hundreds of species, insects, bees, birds (including bald eagles) rabbits, squirrels, racoons, skunks, and deer. Chemical runoff from plastic turf will contaminate adjacent waters. Wildlife cannot exist in conjunction with artificial turf, a huge habitat will be lost forever!
Studies show variable outcomes in the rates and types of injuries experienced by athletes playing on natural grass and on artificial turf. Certain types of injuries are particularly associated with synthetic turf. One concern is increased rates of turf burns (skin abrasions) associated with playing on artificial turf. These abrasions are a risk factor for serious bacterial infections. Another concern is heat stroke during games and practice. Natural grass dissipate the heat through the ground, while plastic grass increases it. The NFL Players Association recently recommended that all artificial turf surfaces be replaced with natural grass. In Europe FIFA professional players are not allowed to play on synthetic turf.
Hundreds of species live in this field, creating a perfect ecosystem. Insects are feeding birds and small rodents are feeding larger birds. Plastic will create an hostile environment to all forms of organic life.
No matter how some people are trying to depict this particular Astroturf as "safe" there is no such thing as safe artificial grass. From the binding agents to the actual "grass" blades, to the infill agents, to the shock pads, they all contain a dangerous cocktail of chemicals bad for our health. For more information visit this informative web page from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: https://www.healthyplayingsurfaces.org/chemicals This artificial grass will continue to pollute after its lifespan of 8 to 10 years, as it is not recyclable and it will end up in landfills or incinerated.
every weekend hundreds of families use this field for picnic and relaxation. Enclosed fences to protect the Astroturf from the danger of fire will literally segregate this space and make unusable to all but a handful of soccer players.
After 40 years of fighting against upstream corporations to stop them from polluting the Hudson River we have today one of the cleanest rivers in North America. People fish, sail and kayak in the mighty Hudson. Why should we the risk polluting it again with dangerous toxin escaping from the Astroturf?
Children are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemical exposures because of their rapidly developing physiology, immature detoxification and elimination systems and natural behavioral patterns. Pound for pound, children breathe more air than adults, taking in more of any chemical present. Children can be exposed to chemicals on artificial turf fields through inhalation, skin absorption and accidental ingestion, all of which can easily occur during normal sports activities.
Those proponents of artificial grass because they wish to play soccer year round will soon find out that they will not be able to play during the hot summer days. Astroturf does not dissipate heat like regular grass does, instead it may increase the heat up to 160 degrees F. Experts note that high temperatures can lead to potentially life-threatening heat-related illnesses for athletes and other users. On top of it the heat generated by artificial plastic will increase the surrounding areas temperature as well, affecting all area visitors.
A real grass field like the existing one only need very little maintenance. The park mowers used to keep the grass in the adjacent baseball fields regularly mow this field as well. The pasturing Canada geese also help keeping the grass short and well fertilized. Artificial grass will need to be cleaned regularly from all form of organic matters that will not compost on it. Astroturf maintenance will include regular cleaning and disinfecting, anti-static and flame retardant chemical applications (yes, more chemicals!), painting, brushing, infill replacement, seam repair and surface cooling with special water cannon during the summer. In addition blood, urine and vomit must be manually removed and the synthetic carpet cleaned by maintenance staff using disinfectants (pesticides). Manufacturers recommend cleaning after every sporting event. During the hot summer days it requires constant watering to lower the temperature
Every day dog owners use this field to exercise their pets, and socialize with other pet owners. Fencing the field and restricting access to do dogs will create more traffic on the paths already crowded with runners, walkers, and bicycle riders.
This project was created and approved in January 2021, during the Covid19 lockdown, while most people were locked in and concerned for their lives. The Community Board 12 resolution cites a "well attended" public scoping meeting in 2019, in which the public allegedly specifically requested Astroturf to replace natural grass. No detail is given about how many people in the community requested it, and how many will benefit from this $ 8.72 millions project. We know though that in the past month since the beginning of work almost 2500 concerned citizens signed the change.org petition to stop the Astroturf from being laid in the Inwood Field park.
This field is located at the very tip of the island of Manhattan. Sweeping views of the mighty Hudson river let the eye space from the George Washington Bridge to the Tappan Zee Bridge. In the spring dozens of cherry blossom trees make this one of the most sought after spots to see nature at its best. In the fall local people who can't afford to travel can still enjoy the beautiful foliage from here, and millions of people including bird watching and ecologist come to visit from all over the world this beautiful paradise at the top end of Manhattan. All of this will be destroyed to favor a small group of soccer players which will use this space but a few times per year.
Once again this kind of projects are coming to black and brown neighborhood to favor a small constituent of influential rich white people, who moved in this neighborhood attracted by its beauty, and now want to change it to make it look more like the downtown they left behind. They try and do this counting on the poor political representation of this neighborhood. Let's proof them wrong!
THIS IS A CRYING CRIME AGAINST OUR ENVIRONMENT AND COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY!
MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER $$$ WILL BE ALLOCATED FOR A PROJECT THAT NOBODY NEEDS OR ASKED FOR. THE REPLACEMENT OF 68,000 SQUARE FEET OF GRASS WITH PLASTIC IS A UNIQUELY STUPID IDEA THAT GOES AGAINST ALL THAT A PARK SHOULD STAND FOR.
ASTROTURF HAS BEEN DEEMED MORE DANGEROUS FOR PLAYERS THAN NATURAL GRASS AND IT IS BEING PHASED OUT IN EUROPE, WHERE MANY SOCCER PLAYERS AND TEAMS ARE ASKING TO PLAY ON REAL GRASS. THE EXISTING FIELD IN INWOOD PARK IS MADE OF GRASS, WHY REPLACING IT WITH TOXIC PLASTIC?
READ BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION
and write to our representatives to express your concern about this very destructive project.
New York City Council: District45@council.nyc.gov Inwood Hill Park Management and New York City Parks Department: pressoffice@parks.nyc.gov NYC councilor Carmen De La Rosa: Burke@council.nyc.gov Robert Jackson: jackson@nysenate.gov Community Board representative: ebsmith@cb.nyc.gov
We are a very small group of concerned citizens, in love with our park, and trying to preserve it from needless pollution! Please join us in this endeavor, all skills are welcomed.