The largest U.S. study of recycled tire crumb on playing fields is the Federal Research Action Plan (FRAP), run by EPA and CDC/ATSDR with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It was launched in February 2016. Part 1 (July 2019) described what is in the material. Part 2 (April 2024) measured how people on the fields are actually exposed. EPA's summary is careful: the reports are not a risk assessment, but together they "support the conclusion that although chemicals are present (as expected) in the tire crumb rubber and exposures can occur, they are likely limited." Indoor fields showed higher airborne concentrations of many chemicals than outdoor fields. CPSC's playground risk assessment was still in progress. So the honest answer is: the federal data so far points to limited exposure, not zero exposure, and it is not the final word. The rest of this page explains what was measured and what a field owner can do about the parts that are within their control.
Disclosure: DreamFields USA installs, cleans and maintains synthetic turf in Essex County, New Jersey and on projects nationwide. We work on fields with crumb rubber and with alternative infills, and we don't sell infill as a product line of its own. We are not toxicologists or an environmental lab. Every research finding below is quoted or summarized from the federal sources listed at the bottom of the page, and we have tried not to round anything up or down.
Most synthetic turf sports fields built in the U.S. over the last two decades use some amount of recycled tire rubber as infill: the black granules that sit between the turf fibers, hold the blades upright and give the surface its cushion. Parents notice it in shoes, in hair and in the car after practice. Boards of education hear about it whenever a field comes up for replacement. And the question is reasonable. Tires are made from rubber compounds, carbon black, oils and metal-containing additives, and grinding them into granules doesn't make those ingredients disappear.
Before 2016, the research base was a patchwork of state reports, academic studies and an earlier, limited 2008 EPA scoping-level field monitoring study. The federal agencies launched FRAP specifically to fill the data gaps those studies left: what is actually in U.S. tire crumb, and how much of it reaches people who use the fields.
According to EPA, FRAP had four parts:
EPA describes it as the largest tire crumb rubber study conducted in the United States, based on the available literature. It also states, plainly, that "these reports together are not a risk assessment." That distinction matters when you read headlines in either direction. The studies measured presence and exposure. They did not set a safe threshold for each chemical and compare players against it.
The Part 1 report, released July 25, 2019, characterized the material itself. EPA's summary is that, as expected, "a range of metals, semivolatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds and bacteria were detected in recycled tire crumb rubber infill." The researchers also measured two things that matter more than a simple ingredient list:
The bacteria finding is the one we see field owners overlook. It has nothing to do with the tire chemistry. It is the same reason we recommend periodic sanitizing on high-use fields, which we cover in our guide to bacteria testing on artificial turf sports fields.
Part 2, released April 16, 2024, measured exposure on real fields. EPA and ATSDR collected indoor and outdoor field samples, personal samples and biomarker samples, plus questionnaires and video-based activity assessments and exposure modeling. In EPA's description:
A range of chemicals, including metals and organic chemicals, was found on skin and in air, field surface and field dust samples. Context is the point, though. For many chemicals measured during active play at the outdoor fields, concentrations in air were not different from background samples. Others, including methyl isobutyl ketone, benzothiazole, 4-tert-butyl phenol and several PAHs, were somewhat higher.
The biomonitoring results are the closest the study comes to "what ends up in the body." In the CDC/ATSDR pilot, metal concentrations in blood were similar to those in the general population, and no differences in PAH metabolites in urine were observed between participants using synthetic turf fields and participants using grass fields. EPA calls that portion a pilot study. It was not designed to follow athletes for years.
We measure infill depth, look for migration and fly-out, check surface hardness and tell you what a top-up, deep clean or infill change would involve. Schools, towns, clubs and indoor facilities in New Jersey and nationwide.
Get a QuoteReading the federal work honestly means listing what it doesn't say:
None of the following is a federal recommendation from FRAP. They are the maintenance and operating practices we use and suggest, chosen because they address the exposure routes the studies measured: skin contact, dust, air and stray granules.
Granules that migrate off the field end up in parking lots, bleachers, locker rooms and cars. That is also infill you will pay to replace. Regular grooming redistributes it, and checking depth in the goal mouths, along the sidelines and at the corner flags tells you where it's leaving. Our grooming and brushing schedule covers frequency by use level, and infill top-dressing covers how low spots get topped up.
A stiff boot brush or grate mat at each gate catches a surprising amount of crumb before it reaches team buses and family cars. It costs little and it reduces the "black dots everywhere" complaint that starts many of these conversations.
Because the indoor field in Part 2 showed higher airborne concentrations, indoor operators should look at air exchange, run the HVAC on an occupancy schedule, and keep dust down with regular cleaning of the turf and the hard surfaces around it. Our guide to indoor artificial turf facility cleaning lays out a routine.
Washing hands before eating, rinsing off abrasions, shaking out shoes and bags before getting in the car and laundering uniforms are simple habits that cut skin contact and the amount of crumb carried home. They also help with the bacteria side of the Part 1 findings.
Body fluids, spilled sports drinks and goose droppings build up on any heavily used field. A periodic sanitizing treatment by a crew that knows how to apply it without damaging fibers or infill handles the microbial part of the picture.
Some districts and clubs decide to move away from bare SBR tire crumb anyway, for community reasons, heat, or because the field is due for replacement. The federal research doesn't require that, and it doesn't forbid it either. The realistic options and their trade-offs (coated SBR, EPDM, TPE, cork, coconut-based organics and others) are in our artificial turf infill types comparison. Two cost points to keep in mind:
| When you change infill | What's involved | Why timing matters |
|---|---|---|
| During a planned carpet replacement | Old carpet and infill come out together; new system is specified with the new infill from the start | Removal is already in the scope, so switching infill adds the least extra work |
| Infill extraction on an existing carpet | Existing infill is extracted and replaced while the carpet stays in place, if its condition allows | Usually only worth it if the carpet has meaningful life left; check fiber condition and warranty terms first |
| Top-up with a different material | Adding a different infill on top of the existing one | Mixing materials can change how the field plays and drains; ask the turf manufacturer before doing it |
We don't publish a per-field price for these, because extraction volume, carpet condition, disposal and the new material vary widely. Our page on artificial turf infill replacement cost explains the cost drivers, and any switch should be checked against the field's warranty and the original manufacturer's specification.
The most useful thing a facilities director can do is quote the source accurately. "EPA says the field is safe" overstates the research. "EPA found toxic chemicals in the field" leaves out the exposure results. A fair one-paragraph summary looks like this:
Then show the maintenance log. A field that is groomed, topped up, sanitized and tested for hardness on schedule answers a lot of questions before they're asked.
Tell us the field, the infill type, its age and how it's used. We'll reply with next steps for grooming, sanitizing, infill top-up or replacement, with a site visit for New Jersey fields.
Get a QuoteNot in those words. EPA says its Federal Research Action Plan reports are not a risk assessment. What EPA does say is that the combined findings of Part 1 (2019) and Part 2 (April 2024) support the conclusion that although chemicals are present in tire crumb rubber and exposures can occur, they are likely limited. CPSC's separate playground risk assessment was still listed as ongoing on EPA's page when we checked.
EPA's Part 1 characterization report found, as expected, a range of metals, semivolatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds and bacteria in recycled tire crumb infill. The research also measured how much of the metals could be released into simulated body fluids and how much organic chemical was emitted into the air.
Yes. EPA reports that many chemicals were found at higher concentrations in air samples at the indoor field studied than at the outdoor fields. That is why ventilation and dust control matter more for indoor turf facilities, domes and practice barns.
In the CDC/ATSDR biomonitoring pilot, EPA reports that metal concentrations in blood were similar to the general population, and no differences in PAH metabolites in urine were seen between participants using synthetic turf fields and those using grass fields. It was a pilot-scale study, so it does not settle every question.
That is a decision for the field owner, weighing budget, the sports played, heat, maintenance and community concerns. The federal research does not require it. If you are already planning an infill top-up or a carpet replacement, that is the cheapest moment to evaluate alternatives such as coated rubber, TPE, cork or other organic infills.
No. We are a turf installation and maintenance company, not an environmental lab. We document infill depth and migration, surface hardness (G-max), drainage and bacteria-related cleaning needs. If you want chemical testing, hire an accredited environmental laboratory and share the results with whoever maintains the field.
Sources (accessed October 21, 2026): U.S. EPA, Federal Research on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds (background, findings, Part 1 July 2019 and Part 2 April 2024 reports, CPSC playground study status); U.S. EPA, Tire Crumb Questions and Answers. Research status can change, so check EPA's page for the latest reports. This page is general information, not medical or environmental-testing advice.