Health concerns surrounding rubber crumb continue to be present in the media. Now, a world-leading manufacturer of artificial infill has developed a solution that eliminates these fears.
Rubber crumb infill suspicions continue to dominate headlines, with parents and players refusing to use artificial pitches that use crumb rubber infill.
Only last month one of the biggest news stations in Chicago, CBS, ran a story regarding safety concerns about black rubber crumb being used on artificial sports pitches. A number of parents have raised concerns that the turf infill is made from recycled tyres and, as such, are refusing to allow their children to use the pitch.
The concerns in Chicago echo worries already raised here in the UK and across the world.
As a world-leading manufacturer of infill for artificial sports pitches, Murfitts Industries has changed the face of the industry by developing a product, PRO-gran, that eliminates any risk to the health of players and the wider environment.
PRO-gran was developed to answer the growing perception of risks to health and the environment from black rubber crumb artificial turf infill.
Although studies about black rubber crumb conclude that it presents no significant risk to health or the environment, this hasn't stopped public concern growing about adults and kids playing on the surface.
Mark Murfitt, Managing Director at Murfitts Industries said “We wanted to create an infill that ensures the safety of the people that play on it. Sport should be an enjoyable experience, and no one should worry about how safe the pitch is that they are playing on”.
"After a year of R&D, we have created PRO-gran, a Polymeric Infill that not only eliminates any concerns about player health, but it has been engineered to create the best artificial playing surface you can get – it creates a more consistent surface than rubber crumb”.
PRO-gran has undergone a demanding programme of testing to ensure it exceeds the EU’s standards for toxicology and toy safety and meets the criteria for REACH 1272/2013 as an article.
The infill is 100% safe for people and the environment as it emits no heavy metals, PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) or micro plastics.
Mark adds “When a club invests in a new pitch, they want to know that it’s going to meet legislative requirements for the lifetime of the surface. With PRO-gran, clubs are assured that their investment is future-proofed as it already exceeds the requirements of the EU’s most stringent legislation and the product is guaranteed to last for up to 10 years of use”.
As a highly engineered product, PRO-gran delivers many other benefits such as lower surface temperatures, no airborne particulates, effective drainage, no aroma, up to a 25% reduction in skin abrasion and almost no splash.
One of the first clubs to use the new infill is Cirencester Town Football Club. Scott Griffin, Club Secretary, said "We didn't expect the crumb on the new pitch to be anything special, but it's amazing! The players love that they can control the ball as there’s a consistency, no dust and hardly any splashing. It's great as we are very keen to make sure the pitch is safe and healthy to play on now and for the future. Because of PRO-gran, everyone involved with the club has peace of mind."
So far, the response to PRO-gran has been significant, with many clubs around the world looking to install pitches that are guaranteed to be safe for the players and the environment and to avoid any future issues that rubber crumb infill could create.
If you would like to know more about PRO-gran then please get in touch