Global evaluation of the chemical hazard of recycled tire crumb rubber employed on worldwide synthetic turf football pitches

Daniel Armada; Maria Llompart; Maria Celeiro; Pablo Garcia-Castro; Nuno Ratola; Thierry Dagnac; Jacob de Boer

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152542

Global evaluation of the chemical hazard of recycled tire crumb rubber employed on worldwide synthetic turf football pitches

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Mar 15:812:152542. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152542. Epub 2021 Dec 22.

Authors

Daniel Armada¹, Maria Llompart², Maria Celeiro¹, Pablo Garcia-Castro¹, Nuno Ratola³, Thierry Dagnac⁴, Jacob de Boer⁵

Affiliations

¹ CRETUS, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Science, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
² CRETUS, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Science, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address: maria.llompart@usc.es.
³ LEPABE-Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Agronomic Research Centre (AGACAL-CIAM), Unit of Organic Contaminants, Apartado 10, E-15080 A Coruña, Spain.
⁵ Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Environment & Health, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

PMID: 34952075
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152542

Abstract

Social and environmental concern about the use of crumb rubber from end-of-life car tires in the construction of different sport and recreational facilities is increasing due to the presence of hazardous compounds. The aim of this research was the assessment of 42 organic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, adipates, antioxidants and vulcanisation agents in a large number of infill samples (91) from synthetic turf football pitches of diverse characteristics and geographical origin. Samples were taken worldwide, in 17 countries on 4 continents, to show the global dimension of this problem. Ultrasound assisted extraction was employed to extract the target compounds, followed by gas chromatography coupled to tandem-mass spectrometry (UAE-GC-MS/MS). Seventy-eight crumb rubber samples as well as thirteen samples of alternatives materials, such as cork granulates, thermoplastic elastomers and coconut fibre, were analyzed. The results highlight the presence of all target PAH in most rubber samples at concentrations up to μg g^-1, including the eight ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) PAHs considered as carcinogenic, and anthracene (ANC), pyrene (PYR) and benzo[ghi]perylene (B[ghi]P), catalogued as substances of very high concern (SVHC). Endocrine disruptors such as some plasticizers (mainly phthalates), and other compounds like benzothiazole (BTZ) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBTZ) were found reaching the mg g^-1 level. This confirms the presence of the hazardous substances in the recycled crumb rubber samples collected all around the world. Three crumb rubber samples exceeded the limit of 20 μg g^-1 for the sum of the eight ECHA PAHs. Regarding the chemical composition of other infill alternatives, cork appears to be adequate, while the thermoplastic elastomers contained high levels of some plasticizers. In addition, the plastic infill as well as the crumb rubber both are microplastics. Microplastics are considered contaminants of emerging concern since they do not biodegrade and remain in the environment for a long time.

Keywords: Carcinogenic substances; Crumb rubber; Endocrine disruptors; Environmental global concern; Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; Microplastics.

MeSH terms

Football*
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Plastics
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Rubber
Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

Plastics
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Rubber