Law firm Milberg LLP is investigating the link between “crumb rubber” used as infill in artificial turf or synthetic turf infill and various health problems.
Milberg has spoken with athletes (and relatives of athletes, some of whom are now deceased) about their development of otherwise uncommon cancers and their concerns about the possible link to their exposure to crumb rubber.
Earlier this week, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ran a segment on Amy Griffin, a soccer coach from Washington who believes there may be link between artificial turf and cancer. Griffin detailed to NBC’s Stephanie Gosk how she first made a connection between crumb rubber fields and cancer while visiting a former player suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
She has since spoken to 63 former soccer players with cancer who played on artificial turf. The majority are goalkeepers, and 15 have died. Said Griffin, “I’ve coached for 26, 27 years. My first 15 years, I never heard anything about this. All of a sudden it seems to be a stream of kids.”
Since NBC first spoke to Griffin in 2014, both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have recently revised their position on the safety of crumb rubber, and no longer stand by statements that it is safe.
Milberg partner Ariana J. Tadler is handling the investigation. Tadler was a State Champion lacrosse goalie while at Manhasset High School, played collegiately at Hamilton College, and in 2008 was inducted into the Manhasset Lacrosse Hall of Fame.