To the Editor:

Enough evidence is available now on synthetic turf that its inclusion in the Guilderland school bond issue coming up for a vote on Oct. 7 should overwhelmingly convince parents and the community to hit the brakes and vote the school bond issue down.

This issue deserves a much bigger dose of a fresh and full airing than it has had and frankly, I have read enough that I wonder that parents and boosters and a whole bunch of people may have jumped on the bandwagon too soon. I think the wise choice at this critical juncture is to hit pause. 

Greater evidence of possible harm to our athletes surely needs more and very serious consideration before taxpayers, athletes, and their parents sign up for future regret.

The National Center for Health Research in a revised newsletter from the fall of 2017 brings to light important information about synthetic turf and its potential to harm.

The center points out that tire crumb or fill applied between the blades of grass on the pretend turf comes from rubber, which “is a mix of latex from rubber trees mixed with petroleum products. That means it can include lead, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VO's) and other chemicals known or suspected to harm human health.”

Could this be another witch’s brew bubbling over like the PFAS water contamination in Hoosick Falls of several years ago?

In addition, the NCHR cites a 2015 report by Yale scientists which “analyzed 14 different samples used for school athletic fields and playgrounds. They detected 96 chemicals, most of which have never been carefully studied, so their health risks are unknown.”

The 2017 fall NCHR report also reports that the artificial turf’s surfaces do not have to submit to government agency testing before they are sold. So, do we really know what we are exposing our children to? It seems that parents and school officials should know.

And that question should be in the mind of every voter who casts a ballot for or against the school board bond issue on Oct. 7. What is not known?  

The Guilderland School Board can always go back to the drawing board and create a bond act without the synthetic turf inclusion. But the board can’t make up for any bad decisions now that may adversely affect the future health of any student.

Betty Head

Altamont