Three environmental organisations have appealed to government ministries to work together to ban synthetic turf, rubber surfaces, and recycled car tyres from educational institutions, playgrounds, and parks. According to them, they can be toxic and even carcinogenic.

The letter comes hot on the heels of a decision by the Kfar Saba City Council in central Israel in January, which passed a regulation to ban the use of synthetic grass in all public spaces and educational institutions.

In their letter, the President’s Climate Forum, the environmental advocacy organisation Adam, Teva V’Din, and the Green Network cite a position paper by the School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in the United States. This paper was updated in May. They also referenced a 2021 Israeli study that probed hazardous chemicals in rubber surfaces in playgrounds in eight Israeli cities.

The Mount Sinai position paper claimed “significant gaps in the evidence supporting the safety of synthetic turf products.” Therefore, it “strongly” discouraged the use of such products due to the uncertainties surrounding their safety and the “potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.”

The authors claimed that lead and other heavy metals might have been intentionally added to synthetic turf products to maintain bright colours over time. It found that 72 percent of samples taken contained quantities of metals that exceeded international standards. It indicated that the hot Israeli climate could help hazardous substances break down relatively quickly and leach into the environment.

However, in Europe the intentional use of lead or other heavy metals for the purpose of brightening colours in products was banned in 2006.