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Original poster

Should I be getting angry about the fact that 3G pitches and plastic crumb playgrounds poisoning our children and waterways?

46 replies

ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 12:40

I only heard about this today but apparently all these play surfaces are made out of toxic car tyres which are continually releasing chemical dust onto our children and toxic leachate into our waterways!

Every school my child has been at has installed one of these in the last 10 years, and every playground has this.

Apparently the NASUWT teacher union are petitioning the government to get these banned.

Does anyone know more about this? Is this a giant health bomb just waiting to happen?

YABU - just another worry, let it go
YANBU - this is horrific, we should all be up in arms about our childrens health being experimented on like this

OP posts:
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PUGMEISTER21 · 15/07/2026 23:46

Jumbaree · 14/07/2026 12:41

You should get angry that you are being exposed to such conspiracy theories! Put down the internet! Goodness.

Are you going to stop washing your clothes because everytime you do that nylon fibres breaknoff in their millions and end up in the waterways.

frenchnoodle · 14/07/2026 17:24

When my brother was very young he was hit by a swing and smashed his head on the concrete floor of a playground, knocking him out.

It may have been what triggered his life long epilepsy.

So I'm very big on having the rubber flooring in playgrounds.

ColdAsAWitches · 14/07/2026 17:20

ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 17:01

What issues were seen in goalkeepers?

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3G pitches have been anecdotally linked with increased cancer risks. It is thought that goalies are at particular risk as they are often on the ground, and so more likely to inhale particles than outfield players. However, it's not a proven link.

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 17:01

ColdAsAWitches · 14/07/2026 16:59

Not if you just sweep them up and put them in the bin. The real human health risk is in inhaling the particles. That's why the first issues were seen in goalkeepers.

Show quote history

What issues were seen in goalkeepers?

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ColdAsAWitches · 14/07/2026 16:59

Jumbaree · 14/07/2026 16:39

God yeh!!! Astroturf bits drive me nuts! Is that a health risk?

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Not if you just sweep them up and put them in the bin. The real human health risk is in inhaling the particles. That's why the first issues were seen in goalkeepers.

Jumbaree · 14/07/2026 16:39

Ablondiebutagoody · 14/07/2026 13:28

I'm more annoyed about the little pellets all over the kitchen floor when DS takes his football boots and socks off.

God yeh!!! Astroturf bits drive me nuts! Is that a health risk?

MrsMurphyIWish · 14/07/2026 16:20

ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 16:14

I wonder what the plans are to remove the toxic ones - children are obviously still being exposed.

The school I work in still has abestos. 3G pitches won’t be replaced, they bring in too much money for the MAT.

Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 16:20

The old ones have been being removed for years. As people have said we are 2 generations later on pitches. The playground construction was always safer as it was bound but again massively improved in the last 10+ years

darksideofthetoon · 14/07/2026 16:18

Not unreasonable at all and it’s evident these things do contain heavy metals and other toxins. But the establishment will downplay it like they always do. Like when they said lead in petrol was fine or mercury in fillings were safe or asbestos. Or when docs said smoking was beneficial. Just because these things are not instantly toxic doesn’t mean they are safe. Low doses of toxins over a long time are very harmful.

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 16:14

I wonder what the plans are to remove the toxic ones - children are obviously still being exposed.

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Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 16:13

It is an area adjacent to my work world. The new ones are massively safer. In effect they seal the chemicals inside a plastic/ fibreglass mixture. The mixture prevents the escape of concerning chemicals. In 3G those crumbs are completely uncoated and also are loose and bounce around.

EmmaBead · 14/07/2026 16:12

i get your point but I feel like it's being over the top

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 16:05

Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 15:55

Plastic crumb isn't the same as 3G. Modern polyeutherane plastic crumb surface doesn't have the same issue.

It can only be seen as a risk if massively degrading.

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You seem knowledgeable on this, I have only found about this problem today.

So, the new surfaces being put down aren't as bad as the one's laid down 10 years ago which are heavy in PAH's and other toxic chemicals? How much safer are they?

Are the old ones being removed now that they are deemed unsafe? There are literally thousands upon thousands of these surfaces laid down 10 years ago in svhool playgrounds all over the country. What is going to be done to remove this toxic hazard from childrens schools and playgrounds?

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Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 15:55

ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 15:36

I am talking about plastic crumb playground surface and 3G surfaces. They are made from the same components of recycled car tyres so they are virtually the same when it comes to toxic potential.

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Plastic crumb isn't the same as 3G. Modern polyeutherane plastic crumb surface doesn't have the same issue.

It can only be seen as a risk if massively degrading.

ColdAsAWitches · 14/07/2026 15:52

ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 15:45

Are the dangerous ones going to be removed?

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They will be over time, but it's not as simple as ripping them up and replacing them. They're very expensive for a start. Councils don't have money for the basics now, never mind to replace working pitches that, individually, have very low impact and provide much-used facilities

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 15:45

ColdAsAWitches · 14/07/2026 15:39

You're not wrong to be concerned. You are wrong to describe it as experimenting on our children!

Now that the problem has been recognized, they are being phased out. They are 3g pitches. There are two generations of pitches after that. Any new pitch will be 5g, which is a completely different surface.

Are the dangerous ones going to be removed?

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ColdAsAWitches · 14/07/2026 15:39

You're not wrong to be concerned. You are wrong to describe it as experimenting on our children!

Now that the problem has been recognized, they are being phased out. They are 3g pitches. There are two generations of pitches after that. Any new pitch will be 5g, which is a completely different surface.

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 15:36

Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 15:32

Are you talking rubberised surfaces or 3G? They are 2 different forms of construction. For someone not aware of the nuances you might well be mistaking one for another. I don't say that to be patronising it's just not something a layman would be aware of.

I am talking about plastic crumb playground surface and 3G surfaces. They are made from the same components of recycled car tyres so they are virtually the same when it comes to toxic potential.

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Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 15:35

Also @Whydoweedsgrowsofast ,I think your figure of 5000 may be just for full size 3G football pitches.

There are thousands more plastic crumb playground surfaces than this.

Many, many schools and public playgrounds have them.

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Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 15:32

Are you talking rubberised surfaces or 3G? They are 2 different forms of construction. For someone not aware of the nuances you might well be mistaking one for another. I don't say that to be patronising it's just not something a layman would be aware of.

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 15:28

Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 15:04

This form of construction is outdated. We are talking of around 5,000 in the whole country. We are not talking of every park and playground. Most of those that exist are athletic facilities. Unless your child is spending hours a day on the same pitch then the risk factors are small. Even for those teachers spending significant amounts of time the risk factors are small, just quite rightly We try to reduce all risk factors.

Most children will never stop foot on one of these facilities.

If you are worried check the the construction of one's near you. They are being phased out already what else do you want to happen?

Practically every playground, school and sports facility has a plastic crumb surface in my town.

My childs entire primary school playground was surfaced with this stuff when he was 5. He was on it every day for 6 years

The children are on them constantly.

OP posts:
Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 15:04

This form of construction is outdated. We are talking of around 5,000 in the whole country. We are not talking of every park and playground. Most of those that exist are athletic facilities. Unless your child is spending hours a day on the same pitch then the risk factors are small. Even for those teachers spending significant amounts of time the risk factors are small, just quite rightly We try to reduce all risk factors.

Most children will never stop foot on one of these facilities.

If you are worried check the the construction of one's near you. They are being phased out already what else do you want to happen?

Original poster
ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/07/2026 14:51

Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 14:32

Read it carefully. Naswt is protesting about staff who may have to spend hours of every day in the environment not children who are much less exposed.

Also they are protesting 3G artificial sports pitches (where loose rubber pellets are spread across fake grass). This does apply to some of the older, loose-fill rubber mulch playgrounds as well if they start degrading.

However, modern, high-quality playground "wet pour" surfaces are typically bound firmly together with polyurethane resin, drastically limiting the release of loose dust unless the surface becomes severely weathered or degraded.

Basically the might be a small risk to staff spending 25 or more hours a week on one older form. There is minimal risk from maintained modern playgrounds.

But children could be on a 3G surface everyday from the age of 2 until adulthood. Every playground, every nursery, every primary, every secondary PLUS after school sports clubs, weekend matches or athletic event and school holidays at the pitch.

Exposed everyday for their entire childhood when the endocrine system is developing and hormones are affecting every aspect of their growth and development.

How is that more exposure than an adult teacher?

OP posts:
Whydoweedsgrowsofast · 14/07/2026 14:32

Read it carefully. Naswt is protesting about staff who may have to spend hours of every day in the environment not children who are much less exposed.

Also they are protesting 3G artificial sports pitches (where loose rubber pellets are spread across fake grass). This does apply to some of the older, loose-fill rubber mulch playgrounds as well if they start degrading.

However, modern, high-quality playground "wet pour" surfaces are typically bound firmly together with polyurethane resin, drastically limiting the release of loose dust unless the surface becomes severely weathered or degraded.

Basically the might be a small risk to staff spending 25 or more hours a week on one older form. There is minimal risk from maintained modern playgrounds.