ADVISEMENT
Proposition 65 (the CA Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) is a “notice” law, which mandates warning signs or labels on any products sold in CA that contain chemicals annually listed by the State of California as causing cancer or reproductive harm. This is a concern for purveyors and purchasers of artificial turf because neither can tolerate signs, prominently displayed on their new turf, which announce: “WARNING: This Area Contains Chemicals Known To The State of California To Cause Cancer And Birth Defects or Other Reproductive Harm”. Unfortunately, most turf products contain chemicals on the List, such as silica (sand), urethane (coating), aromatic hydrocarbons (recycled-tire rubber) and toxic metals (grass filaments and infill). Compounding the problem, no “safe harbor levels” have been established for most of these chemicals, so proving that levels of exposure are safe may be difficult and costly in the extreme. This places the turf purveyor and/or purchaser at great risk for significant fines and legal costs, since the enforcement mechanism is by litigation, which the law allows to be brought by “citizen enforcers”, often referred to as “bounty hunters”. This chapter provides more information concerning Prop 65 - but keep in mind that FieldShield products and designs effectively circumvent the problem, by eliminating any of the listed chemicals.