Sports Turf with guest Dr. Rachel Massey

Nov 2, 2023

01:00:09

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Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Smart Human Podcast. Today, I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Rachel Massey, who is Senior Science and Policy Advisor at the Collaborative for Health and Environment and a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts. Today, we are talking about a very important topic to me, artificial sports turf. We talk about materials, health effects, alternatives, and ways to stay safe. So stay tuned.

Rachel Massey is Senior Science and Policy Advisory at the Collaborative for Health and Environment, and a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has over two decades of experience working at the intersection of public interest science and policy making in state, national and international arenas. Until recently she served as Senior Associate Director at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where her projects included state, federal and international chemicals policy initiatives, analyzing toxics use reduction opportunities for businesses and communities, and working in partnership with small businesses and grassroots organizations addressing toxics at the community level.

In 2022 she received the Ken Zarker Memorial Pollution Prevention Champion Award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. She has authored numerous reports and articles on chemicals policy and safer alternatives, including reports for European government agencies and the United Nations on chemicals and development, chemicals in consumer products, and other topics. Rachel received a Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University, a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a Doctor of Science in Work Environment from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Here are some suggested links/resources:

Blog posts through the Collaborative for Health and Environment:

https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/playing-on-plastic-artificial-turf-hazards-and-safer-alternatives

https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/6ppd-in-tires-a-concern-for-playgrounds-artificial-turf-and-more

https://www.healthandenvironment.org/join-us/blog/playground-surfacing-fall-protection-and-fun-without-toxic-chemicals

Resources from the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell:

https://www.uml.edu/research/lowell-center/athletic-playing-fields/

One-page overview of artificial turf concerns:

https://www.turi.org/content/download/13559/206802/file/ArtificialTurfConcerns_flyer_April2021.pdf Extended fact sheet on athletic fields (2020):

https://www.turi.org/content/download/13271/203906/file/Factsheet.Artificial_Turf.September2020.pdf.pdf Report on athletic fields (2018-2019):

https://www.turi.org/content/download/11980/188623/file/TURI+Report+2018-002+June+2019.+Athletic+Playing+Fields.pdf PFAS in artificial turf carpet: https://www.turi.org/content/download/12963/201149/file/TURI+fact+sheet+-+PFAS+in+artificial+turf.pdf

Natural grass field case studies: turi.org/organicgrasscasestudies Short videos on natural grass fields in MA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmjv1qteLho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nws-ZpeaQJc