Feb. 29--When doctors found Stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma in her lungs, Emily Prince had questions.
The college biology major wanted to know why cancer would strike someone so young and healthy. She found little help in existing research, which has yet to clearly identify a cause for the disease.
"I was obviously looking for any type of answer," she said.
It was her golf coach at Vassar College in New York who mentioned the debate over synthetic turf and, in particular, the crumb rubber often used as infill on artificial fields.
Prince recalled playing soccer as a girl and coming home with tiny black granules stuck to her skin and caught in her hair.
"When I heard about this," she said, "it made sense to me."
More than 11,000 playgrounds and athletic fields across the country employ pulverized tires -- sprinkled between the blades of artificial grass -- to create a surface that feels soft and natural. There are dozens of such fields at Los Angeles schools, parks and colleges.
Synthetic turf manufacturers say more than 60 studies over the past two decades have shown no elevated health risks associated with their products, but not everyone is convinced.
Environmental health advocates worry about a complex brew of chemicals, metals and suspected carcinogens that may be found in crumb rubber. They characterize past research as incomplete.
With legislators asking for more information, the federal government recently announced a multi-agency study and plans to issue a draft report by year's end.
Athletes, parents, school administrators and parks officials remain caught in the middle, wondering about artificial fields that can be so beneficial because they use less water and are more durable than grass.
"I know that when these things pop up without scientific evidence, it's hard to believe at first," Prince said. "This is an issue that needs to be addressed."
