The Netherlands calls for stricter standards for rubber granulate

ECHA will now consider that proposal and will issue an opinion to the European Commission in 2019.

Image: extract from “Annex to the restriction dossier”

The issue of rubber granulate on artificial turf pitches became a topic in Dutch and international news thanks to the Dutch investigative programme Zembla, which dedicated several broadcasts to it.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) today reiterates its advice that people playing on artificial turf pitches with rubber granulate should wash their hands, clean wounds and change clothes before going home.

For the first time, ECHA intends to assess environmental risks and other hazardous substances for health.

Is it safe for you and your children ‍ ‍ ‍ to play on artificial #SportsPitches and #playgrounds? While ECHA’s initial report found a very low risk, there are always things to do to reduce the risk even further. #ChemicalsInOurLife #SaferChemicals #RubberCrumb pic.twitter.com/RuKj3MYZW4

— ECHA (@EU_ECHA) August 16, 2018

Environmental organisation Recycling Network called in July for a moratorium on shredding old car tyres on sports pitches. The environmental organisation requested this on the basis of official research by the RIVM showing that the rubber granulate on the sports pitches investigated leads to serious environmental problems. The standards of the (Dutch) Soil Quality Decree are exceeded in no fewer than 9 out of 10 sports pitches investigated.