Hazard assessment study on organic compounds and heavy metals from using artificial turf

Atef M F Mohammed; Inas A Saleh; Nasser M Abdel-Latif

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14928

Hazard assessment study on organic compounds and heavy metals from using artificial turf

Heliyon. 2023 Mar 29;9(4):e14928. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14928. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Authors

Atef M F Mohammed¹, Inas A Saleh¹, Nasser M Abdel-Latif¹

Affiliation

¹ Air Pollution Research Department, Environment and Climate Change Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Introduction: Artificial turf or synthetic grass releases hazardous substances such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the concentration levels of hazardous substances that are emitted from artificial turf as a result of sunlight effect; and to assess the expected exposure risks to such emitted substances during various activities.The current study aimed to evaluate the concentration levels of hazardous substances that are emitted from artificial turf as a result of the effect of sunlight. And to assess the expected risks of exposure to these substances emitted during the various activities.

Study design: VOCs emitted from artificial turf samples were monitored and collected in the ambient air of three football fields, the ambient air around a piece of new artificial turf that has not yet been used on playing fields, but has been exposed to sunlight within one year and in the indoor air around a piece of new artificial turf. Which has not yet been used on the playgrounds and was placed at room temperature and away from sunlight.

Results: The current study shows that average afternoon morning VOCs levels were 277, 333, 405 and 509 mg/m³ in winter, autumn, spring and summer, respectively. The most predominant PAHs compounds present in the samples were compounds with 3-rings and 4-rings.The average daily intake (ADI) for three exposure routes (ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact) was calculated for different age categories (3-6, 7-15, 16-18, 19-22, 23-55, and 56-70 year). Non-Carcinogenic exposure risk as hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were detected.

Conclusion: All HI values were <1, indicating that there is no potential adverse health effects occur as a result of a chemical exposure. Total carcinogenic risk (R) values for the different age categories were higher than 1E-04 for three football artificial grass fields, which indicated a high cancer risk development probability. HI and R probability increased in the age group of 7-15 year > 3-6 years.

Keywords: Artificial turf; Heavy metals; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); Risk assessment; Volatile organic compounds (VOCs).