Letter to the Editor: In Opposition to Artificial Turf

(This letter was written by Deborah Porder of Scarsdale)

Dear Superintendent Patrick, Mayor Arest, Scarsdale Board of Trustees and Scarsdale Village Manager,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the installation of artificial turf on Scarsdale playing fields.

Please do not expose our children to toxic substances that can damage their health or even kill them. Artificial turf contains carcinogens and neurotoxins. It contains PFAS. The EPA has recently said that there is no safe level of PFAS exposure and it is banned in Europe. Young children are especially vulnerable to it. Artificial turf exposes players to extreme heat on hot days and can cause heat-related illnesses.

I beg you not to purchase something that will increase the flooding that many Scarsdale residents are experiencing on a regular basis. Artificial turf does not absorb as much water as grass. We need more greenspace to absorb stormwater, not less.

Lastly, we should not be contributing to toxic air pollution that all of us will have to breathe. The lifespan of artificial turf is ten years. We should not be putting tons of toxic plastic in the County incinerators every ten years.

For me, the risk benefit analysis weighs heavily in favor of keeping our environmentally friendly grass fields. Grass is benign. Maybe it costs more to maintain, but there are costs associated with diseases and flooding caused by artificial turf. Don't just think about what the Village will have to pay to maintain the grass. Please consider the health and property damage that Scarsdale residents and others will suffer from artificial turf.

Kind Regards,
Deborah Porder
46 Lawrence Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583
(914) 725-6393