Sources

Neighbourhood Impact

City Hall Watch
Heads up on Procedure Bylaw changes: On July 24, City Council is set to change meeting rules and limit public participation (Outcome: POSTPONED)
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/procedure-bylaw-changes/

Environmental Impact

Microplastic pollution devastating soil species, study finds
”Researchers in China saw big reductions in organisms that play a crucial role in recycling carbon and nitrogen”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/02/microplastic-pollution-devastating-soil-species-study-finds?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

Safe Healthy Playing Fields Coalition
”Synthetic turf costs more to install, almost as much to maintain, and has to be replaced once it wears out.”
https://www.safehealthyplayingfields.org/cost-grass-vs-synthetic-turf

Science Direct | Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X19302061

ZEMBLA | The Artificial Turf Mountain
”The Netherlands is a country of artificial turf. No country in the world has more artificial turf per capita. Last summer, over 200 artificial grass pitches were replaced in the Netherlands. No less than 1 million square metres of artificial turf had to be removed. All waste that cannot be dumped. What happens to the old pitches? What happens to all that plastic and all the polluting rubber in them? Processing companies promise to separate all the waste and recycle it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5o3J7uy4Tk

Victoria News | Environmental group sounds alarm after 48 lbs of plastic found in dead whale
https://www.vicnews.com/news/environmental-group-sounds-alarm-after-48-lbs-of-plastic-found-in-dead-whale/

The Star | Sewage problems must be fixed if Vancouver wants to be a global role model, say advocates
https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/04/11/we-really-should-be-a-model-for-the-entire-world-but-were-just-not-there-yet-advocate-on-vancouvers-sewage-overflow-problem.html

Health Risks

SynTurf.org | For Artificial Turf - THE HEAT IS ON
Learn about the impacts of hot temperature on artificial turf and how it can pose health risks for those who use it during the summer.
Read more >

Healthline | Turf Burn: What you should know
Learn about the injuries that occur on artificial turfs.
https://www.healthline.com/health/turf-burn

Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain
This video explores how toxins impact the developing brain. Even small traces can have an accumulative impact on children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6KoMAbz1Bw
Read Dr. Bruce P. Lanphear’s Annual Review >

The Guardian | US playgrounds: fears grow over health risks from rubber particles
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/25/lawmakers-concerned-chemicals-rubber-playgrounds-push-safety-rules

Toronto Public Health | Health Impact Assessment of the Use of Artificial Turf in Toronto
Read more >

National Center for Health Research | Risks of Head Injuries on Artificial Turf Fields in Washington, D.C.
”Professional athletes don’t like artificial turf for many reasons, and many parents feel the same way about artificial turf playgrounds and athletic fields. Artificial turf is made with chemicals that can harm children and adults, the fields also are much hotter than grass, and bacteria can grow in them. This article will focus on a different safety issue: the hardness of the field and implications for the safety of children and adults playing on them.”
http://www.center4research.org/risks-head-injuries-artificial-turf-fields-washington-d-c/