Here we go. Since all the health concerns regarding syn turf have become public and the legislators have taken action, now FieldTurf has decided to hire lobbyists. This should raise eyebrows more than anything has yet.
** Turf manufacturer hires lobbyist to bury NYC turf bill. SynTurf.org, Newton Mass. April 16, 2008. Citing the April 15, 2008, edition of Crain’s Insider (http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=insider), Geoff Croft of New York Parks Advocate (http://nycparkadvocates.org) reports that FieldTurf, which has sold New York City 200 artificial turf fields, has hired lobbyist Claudia Wagner and public relations firm Widmeyer Communications to help bury a City Council bill to rip up $100 million worth of fields. Council members Eric Gioia, D-Queens, and Tish James, D-Brooklyn, say fields made with crumb rubber should be replaced because the product contains harmful substances. New Jersey-based FieldTurf says the fields are safe and cause fewer injuries than grass fields. It has been trotting out scientists and data to back up its position. The Bloomberg administration says the city's Health Department is studying the fields, adding that the bill is premature and lacks widespread support.
