Letters

I was dismayed to read in The Press that the proposed Little League field that will replace the field on Pantigo Place will have artificial turf [“They Will Come Even Before You Build It: East Hampton Little League Holds Well-Attended Groundbreaking for New Ball Fields,” Sports, 27east.com, October 12].

Even though it has improved over the years, artificial turf still has toxic implications. It is made of polyethylene and other plastics and often contains rubber “crumb” made from ground-up tires.

The artificial turf suffers minute breakage that contributes to micro plastic pollution, which washes into the environment and can be breathed in; it usually means a hotter playing surface, which is dangerous in a warming world; the rubber crumb migrates on shoes and clothing, as well as runoff, and carries the toxins of the tires into the wider environment; and, like all plastics, it adds to the load of permanent non-biodegradable bulk in landfills.

Organically managed turf playing fields (Springfield, Massachusetts, has a model program that should be investigated) are nontoxic, allow rain infiltration, require little irrigation, and allow the earth underneath the sod to continue its function as home to beneficial organisms and can be easily restored if the field is no longer used for sports.

Why would a community willfully expose its children and environment to toxins when other options are available? A small additional maintenance cost? Seriously?

Janet Van Sickle

Montauk