The Oak Bluffs Health Commission opened the floodgates on Tuesday to listen to comments and opinions on the draft regulations banning the use of artificial turf in the town-while also opening up new wounds in the district high school's split playground project.

When the draft rule was introduced, there was growing concern about groundwater pollution caused by perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large class of slowly decomposing chemical substances. If passed, the rule will prohibit the “installation, storage and dumping of all PFAS-containing artificial turf” on any property of Oak Bluffs.

It may also prevent a popular $7 million project that uses turf to overhaul regional high school sports fields.

Town health agent Meegan Lancaster said that since the turf project entered the board of directors in August, the health committee has been negotiating with the school on the impact of PFAS, around the time the Martha’s Vineyard Committee approved the plan by a vote of 10 to 6. "People have a lot of concerns about PFAS now... They want to study this further," Ms. Lancaster said of the health committee members.

The online meeting on Tuesday was led by experts and environmental advocates from across the country who warned of the dangers of PFAS. Speakers from the high school program also attended the meeting, vigorously defending the environmental integrity of their plan.

"All these PFASs that we found in the turf...should be of serious concern to Martha's Vineyard," said Keira Bennett, scientific policy director for environmental responsibility for public employees, a non-profit advocacy organization.

She said that the artificial turf planned for the main high school site would introduce unacceptable PFAS levels into the environment.

"I think you should continue to enforce this ban," Ms. Bennett said.

Christian Huntress's company designed the high school project. He defended the planned turf field. Among other things, he said that deciding which turf to use must go through a strict review process.

When the project was approved by MVC in August, the developer agreed to a number of mitigation plans for microplastic pollution. The planned measures include setting up drainage ditches with microfilters around the fields to help capture plastics in runoff, and formulating action plans to reduce microplastics.

"We attach great importance to products and specifications," said Mr. Huntress. "The products we specified have been reviewed."

Amy Houghton, chair of the school committee, said that the health committee meeting held on Tuesday surprised school officials with a large lineup of experts and few prior notices.

Ms. Horton said that late Friday afternoon, the Health Commission notified Mr. Huntress of the meeting in a short e-mail.

"Our reminder is, please attach the meeting agenda," she said.

"This is a prepared meeting, and the health committee called witnesses. We don't know anything about it," she continued. "What happened was a deliberate demonstration. And this is not the way it was portrayed to us at all."

Ms. Lancaster said that the board had heard the opinion of a controversial scientific adviser Laura Green at the school more than once before, and she defended the use of PFAS. The Environmental Protection Agency, where Ms. Green is a special employee, denied many of her claims about PFAS's so-called safety.

"Dr. Green keeps saying that we don't understand science," Ms. Lancaster said. 

Ms. Lancaster said she then started looking for experts who could explain science to the board. 

"This is the origin of the draft regulations," she said. 

Ms. Lancaster said that when looking for scientists to attend the Tuesday meeting, she could not find anyone to defend PFAS. 

"If I find someone saying,'My scientific research is about PFAS, it's totally fine', I will contact them," she said. 

Among those who condemned the use of PFAS at the meeting were experts from all over the country.

"This is a national issue, not just Martha's Vineyard," said Graham Peasley, a professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame. He added that PFAS will eventually enter drinking water, and children usually contain a few parts per billion in chemicals when they are born.

"PFAS is persistent and does not decompose," Ms. Bennett said. "They are called eternal chemicals for a reason."

Courtney Carignan, a professor at Michigan State University who studies exposure science, said that PFAS contamination can cause adverse health effects.

"PFAS has been found to affect multiple systems in the body," she said. She said that the fact that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency is studying the impact of PFAS has attracted enough attention to issue a ban.

Kristen Mello, a chemist from Westfield, cited data from water samples collected around a high school with a lawn next to a creek in New Hampshire. There, the PFAS content found in the water tested in the high school was higher than the other two further test locations.

"You are a sandbar-your drinking water comes from rainwater," she said. "Every bit of PFAS you add is something you want to keep."

However, Joe Sullivan, the high school playground overhaul project manager, disputed the view that the data from New Hampshire is necessarily relevant.

"I want to make sure that the research is done one by one," he said.

Ms. Lancaster pointed out that the study in New Hampshire was done by Alpha Analytical, which was used by MVC consultant Tetra Tech to test high school projects.

As the discussion diminished, Tom Zinno, a member of the health committee, wondered if it was possible to build lawns without PFAS.

"They have done this before, but the turf is not very good," Mr. Peisley replied, adding that he is not a development expert in the turf field.

Paul Lauenstein, a member of Sharon’s Water Management Advisory Committee, said his town passed a three-year turf ban in 2020. Since then, he said that the town has achieved success on the grass through diligent maintenance.

"It really opened my eyes to how much plastic we have in our lives," Mr. Zinno said of the discussion.

James Butterick, a health committee member and retired doctor, said he has begun to see the dangers of PFAS in the medical profession in a similar way to the effects of cigarettes.

"I look at this issue in a parallel way," he said.

He later added that if the data shown by Ms. Melo proves to be reproducible, installing the field now may cause problems in the next few years.

"In two, three, four years, we may encounter very serious problems," Mr. Butrick said.

Mr. Sullivan said that if the board is concerned about overall PFAS pollution, the scope of the problem is broader than the prohibition of turf.

"If we do this kind of regulation, it may have to be broader because the problem is broader," he said.

Although the lawn project has been approved by MVC, it still requires special permission from the Oak Bluffs Planning Committee.

Ms. Horton confirmed that the school has not yet submitted an application to its planning committee. "It is ready and ready," she told the Bulletin by phone on Wednesday.

She said that according to a new regulation on impervious surfaces passed by the Health Commission at the end of the summer, the postponement was to allow time to meet with Oak Bluffs building inspectors. "We want to make sure we understand what the building inspectors are looking for," Ms. Horton said. The first phase of the oilfield plan is centered on the construction of new tracks.

At the meeting, the Health Commission did not take any action on the draft regulations. Another discussion is scheduled to take place on January 11, and board members said they intend to hold a public hearing before making any decisions.

"Are we in a hurry? I don't think so," said William White, chairman of the board.

Ms. Lancaster said that school officials are welcome to bring experts to defend the environmental aspects of the turf field.

"If they can find them, we welcome them very much," she said. "If we are missing something here, we want to hear it." 

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