The Ithaca city planning board last week approved Cornell University’s plan to construct artificial turf fields as part of a new athletic facility, rejecting several local environmental groups’ concerns over the potential for plastic pollution.
The $55 million Meinig Fieldhouse is set to include indoor and outdoor fields made of artificial turf, according to the university’s planning documents. Artificial turf can be constructed from a variety of materials, but usually contain synthetic fibers made of plastics.
Those fields have been the subject of debate during planning board meetings in recent months, as several local residents have voiced concerns during public comment that the turf could cause plastic pollution and health risks, including from so-called “forever chemicals” or PFAS.
Researchers have found that plastic from artificial turf fields can cause pollution in nearby bodies of water and that artificial turf fields made of tire crumb rubber may contain PFAS chemicals. Exposure to PFAS can increase the risk of developing some cancers and cause fertility issues, along with other health concerns.
Studies note that little is known about the impacts of other materials used to make artificial turf, including the plant-based materials that Cornell has agreed to use for the fieldhouse’s outdoor field, and call for further research.
National sports data indicates that some injuries are more likely on turf fields.
Amid the pushback, the university's planners have stated that artificial turf is necessary to allow year-round sports practices. Several student athletes said at a previous planning meeting that the facility would provide a vital resource, providing them with space to participate in sports activities that support their mental and physical wellbeing.
Planning board chair Emily Petrina said at the meeting last week that the board was able to “move the needle” to address some concerns.
Those include agreements that the outdoor field will be made of plant-based materials, all turf will comply with a state law requiring materials be free of “intentionally added” PFAS, and that the university will purchase renewable energy credits to offset the facility’s energy use.
“I think with those mitigations, we have a better project that will be built than what was brought before us in the beginning,” Petrina said at the meeting.
The board has also required that the developers use a third party to test the artificial turf for PFAS chemicals before installation and to submit its results.
But advocates from environmental groups maintain that the projects could still present numerous health and environmental risks.
One major concern, according to Yayoi Koizumi, founder of Zero Waste Ithaca, is the planning board determined the project did not meet the threshold to be considered “environmentally significant”. That means the planners did not have to conduct additional study of the project’s environmental impact.
“The current assessment is flawed and incomplete,” said Koizumi in written comments to the planning board, citing concerns over risks from plastic pollution. “It is crucial that these new findings be thoroughly considered to ensure the protection of public health and the environment.”
At the meeting, bethany ojalehto mays (who spells her name with no capital letters) of Cornell on Fire presented a legal petition requesting the board rescind its declaration that the project was not environmentally significant. But board members did not appear to reconsider their decision about the project’s environmental significance.
“There is, in my opinion, not a significant impact here,” Petrina said.