Characterization of synthetic turf rubber granule infill in Japan: Polyaromatic hydrocarbons and related compounds

Abstract

Although the health effects of artificial turf fillings have been investigated in Europe and the United States, the actual situation in Japan is unclear. To address this issue, the concentrations of 46 polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and related compounds in rubber infills were analyzed prior to their use in synthetic turf fields in Japan. Based on information obtained from the sample suppliers, the investigated samples were divided into five categories: discarded tires, industrial rubber, combinations of these products or unidentified components (mixture/unknown), synthetic rubber specifically manufactured for synthetic turf, and special-purpose thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). The industrial rubber samples were mixtures of styrene butadiene rubber, natural rubber, and ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM). The synthetic rubber samples consisted only of EPDM. A few or none of the PAHs were detected in the synthetic rubber and TPE samples. However, in the discarded tire and industrial rubber samples, benzo[a]pyrene, cyclopenta[cd]pyrene, and 30 other compounds were detected. A comparison between these two categories indicated that the discarded tire samples exhibited higher concentrations of the target compounds than the industrial rubber samples. This finding can be attributed to the presence of EPDM in almost all of the industrial rubber samples, which were not present in the discarded tire samples. The maximum PAH concentrations obtained in the present study were equivalent to or lower than the previously reported PAH concentrations. The total concentrations of the eight PAHs included in the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) assessment of health risks were lower in the present study than those reported by the ECHA. Furthermore, elution testing was performed with four simulated biofluids (gastric and intestinal juices, saliva, and perspiration). The actual elution amounts of all compounds were less than the limits. This report provides basic data for the risk assessment of PAHs in rubber infills.

Keywords: Elution testing; Polyaromatic hydrocarbon; Rubber infill; Simulated biofluid; Synthetic turf.