The Health Commission will debate the restrictions on December 14.

The Oak Bluffs Sanitation Committee has drafted regulations prohibiting the installation, storage and dumping of artificial turf containing PFAS. The draft regulations were released on Thursday afternoon along with the health committee agenda on Tuesday, December 14, where the committee will discuss these regulations. 

After the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School defeated the Martha’s Vineyard Committee by a small margin of 10-6, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School proposed to build an artificial turf field in front of the Oak Cliff Planning Committee. In more than a dozen public meetings on projects in this field, the potential of PFAS from the proposed field has been extensively debated.

In the section marked "Regulatory Purposes", the draft regulations stated: "In view of the site selection of artificial turf, it is possible to release perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances and metals in drinking water supply areas; these pollutants have repeatedly threatened the surface of Massachusetts. And groundwater quality; surface and groundwater resources contribute to the supply of public drinking water in Oak Bluffs; the town of Oak Bluffs adopts the following regulations... as a precaution, the purpose is to protect public drinking water drawn from our only source of aquifers The quality of the water and minimize the risks to public health and the environment."

The regulations define artificial turf as "any synthetic, carpet-like material made into a turf similar to that used as a permanent installation surface for landscaping, pets, sports, greens, and playgrounds."

Amy Houghton, chairperson of the MVRHS school committee and project representative, said she hopes that there will be no unintended consequences—the field has not become a target—especially when there are so many other PFAS sources on the island.

"Will the town of Oak Bluffs do this for all the septic tank systems they own?" she asked. "What does this mean for taxpayers and individual homeowners?"

As part of the MVC approval conditions, two groundwater monitoring wells will be installed on the downhill slope of the synthetic oil field to conduct annual tests on PFAS and other pollutants.

Horton said the school is prepared to do whatever the licensing authority requires, but noted that independent consultants have tested the turf material and determined that the level of PFAS is negligible.

She pointed out that the pollutant threshold in the draft is one part per million, while laboratory results are expressed in one part per trillion.

"If this is what the Health Commission wants to do, I think we will have to come together and see if we can advance this project and how much additional cost will it cost?" she said. "At the same time, there will be more delays and more children will not be able to run on the track at home or compete on the home field. I hope it can be more about children."

Martha's Vineyard Commissioner Ben Robinson was one of six votes against the field project. He told The Times that he was unaware of these regulations. When he heard about them, he said: "I am very happy that they are doing something about it."

He went on to say, "Anything that makes the school rethink is good."

The draft regulations set a PFAS-free standard, that is, "total organic fluorine measured by combustion ion chromatography is less than one part per million (PPM)". Robinson wanted to know where and when to test the turf-at the manufacturer when it was created or elsewhere. 

Terry Donahue is the founder of MV@Play. MV@Play is a group that supports man-made venues for high schools in the Martha's Vineyard area. He doesn't know the draft regulations. "This is something that the school board will have to comment on," Donahue said, declining to comment further.

Oak Bluffs health agent Meegan Lancaster did not immediately respond to emails asking how the proposed regulations will affect high school field programs. 

When asked if she wanted to weigh the proposed regulations, Dr. Laura Green, a toxicologist who had been at the center of several artificial turf debates in vineyards and elsewhere, said via email that she would: "In Among other flaws, its premise is incorrect," Green wrote. "As the Alpha Analytical Laboratory report shows, a few months ago, the SPLP test designated by the U.S. EPA and relied on by MassDEP and other experts actually showed that the leaching of the proposed material would not affect the quality of groundwater. On the contrary, The "total organic fluorine" test cannot be used for any such purpose; and it is not used for any such purpose."

George Brennan and Lucas Thors contributed to this story. Update to include Green's comments.

This is always a bad idea. Back to the grass. Show some common sense. Protect our beautiful planet.

Yes Martha! Thank you so much for your comment! ❤️

May health and safety prevail!

Well, I can tell you now that our family heard the news that the Oak Bluffs Health Commission has done some research and is working hard to protect the health and safety of our island. I am very excited. Thank you so much Oak Cliff! !

Protecting our watershed should be the first priority.

Defamation of Dr. Green and her certificate, setting new rules (or setting "conditions", as the OB Health Committee said) at the end of the game-it's nice to see people's wishes and MVC being completely ignored by OB officials-this It's almost like someone with a personal vendetta is working behind the scenes.

You may be right... It seems that some school officials have vendetta against professional scumbags. Otherwise, why would they ignore the health risks to students and their environment?

Susan-I'm not sure how things in the world actually work, but in my opinion, people who have smoked a lot of grass seem to be "pro-grass". Maybe this is why they are called "prograssives" 😉

Hey John-you used the word "the will of the people". Maybe I missed something, but as far as I know, there has never been a public vote, and public opinion seems to be strongly opposed. This is "decided" by a group of people who may be misled or have a conflict of interest-I don't say that, but "many people" might think so. By the way-I'm curious who do you think won the 2020 presidential election? Just ask.

This is good news! This is a critical moment for the Health Commission and all OBs, not only for the safety of athletes competing on the turf, but also for the safety of all of us drinking (and cooking, bathing and watering with our vegetables) OB water. A lot of information can be read from people who have tested PFAS lawns (ie https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/new-studies-show-pfas-artificial-grass-blades-and-backing) but We should also take into account that we are still understanding the damage caused by many products in our daily lives-not just artificial playgrounds. The consequences of ignoring this new information can be harmful to our children and others.

Amy Horton said: "I hope it can be more relevant to children." I totally agree with you, Amy, so I believe you agree that their health is our top priority. The plastic field becomes more toxic and fragile when subjected to extreme pressures, such as 160 degrees high temperature, 1,000 hours of ultraviolet radiation per year, raging storms, corrosive salt spray, and extreme friction caused by our youth’s anti-skid shoes and body collisions. Gradually reduce the plastic grass blades into micron and nano-particle dust. The dust is kicked into the air by young players and enters their blood directly through skin abrasions and inhalation. How many hours are there every year, for 4 consecutive years, will our teenagers inevitably be completely exposed? New evidence shows the nightmare of every parent: reproductive abnormalities, infertility, cancer. Are we really willing to let our teenagers become guinea pigs?

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/01/plastic-additive-linked-to-excessive-reproductive-abnormalities/ https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/12/09/news/ microplastics-wreak-havoc-human-cells https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389421025978

What a stupid idea. Don’t the people of Oak Bluffs know that PFAS is everywhere in rain, snow, and sea water? Does the Health Commission plan to stop rain and stop the tides? Don't they know that "combustion ion chromatography" is useless for determining whether any substance will contaminate any aquifer? How many residents of Oak Bluffs wear Patagonia, NorthFace, or other "performance" coats that are covered with PFAS side chain polymers? There are many excellent chemists nearby, in Woods Hole...has anyone asked them? It does not seem……

Public health policy should be based on public health science and medicine. The proposed policy is not. For decades, our universities and hundreds of other universities have relied on these types of sports fields. Go to the Nixon Stadium at Boston University and tell me it is poisonous. nonsense. Since at least 1970, it has been a synthetic oil field!

Through all these comments, the "will of the people" seems clear, less chemicals, more natural grasses.

Just because PFAS are ubiquitous does not mean they are safe, and certainly does not mean that we should add more of them to the environment, especially adding them to the only aquifer on our island.

Many PFAS are associated with many harmful health effects, including cancer, immune system dysfunction, liver damage, developmental and reproductive hazards (accelerated onset of puberty), and hormonal disorders.

Although there are thousands of PFAS, only a few have been thoroughly studied. Now that we know that many PFAS are harmful to health, wouldn’t it be wise to wait until the specific PFAS found in artificial turf projects are proven safe before releasing them into our aquifers?

Applying Ms. Elliot’s head into the sand logic to the ubiquitous environmental disasters in the past (DDT, dioxins, PCBs, Agent Orange, asbestos, etc.) will only continue to do so, because they are everywhere . The fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland is still burning today, most of our rivers will be polluted, the air in most American cities will be unbreathable, and the Environmental Protection Agency will not be needed or created.

The polymer PFAS (PVDF-HFP) used to make extruded polyethylene and other common plastics is an FDA-approved polymer used in surgical sutures, implantable meshes, and countless other surgical, medical, and other commercial products.

These polymers are also used in membranes for ultrafiltration and microfiltration processes, such as seawater desalination to make drinking water.

These polymers are completely different from small water-soluble PFAS in chemical, physical and other aspects, such as PFOS, PFHxS and other PFAS regulated by MassDEP.

They are not soluble in water, nor volatile in the air.

On the other hand, fire-fighting foam contains 3% to 6% of perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances, such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its direct precursors; these foams are why communities across the country and internationally Groundwater contaminated by octane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid.

Polymers such as PVDF-HFP have never and will never dissolve in water, volatilize in the air or otherwise endanger the environment or human health.

This was also discussed at the MVC hearing for several months. Maybe you don't have the opportunity to attend these meetings.

I want to find a contact at the school and the board to remind them that there is a relatively new seed mixture (6-7 years old) that contains a native grass for Cape Cod and the island Dennis sold locally by Ace Hardware Call "Harmony Mix" a native: Deschmpsia flexuosa, tough and resilient in our Cape and Islands region. Even if they run out this season, if I can fly it to the vineyard in time for the meeting, I would also be willing to donate a 15-pound bag, or contact someone who can come up with a competitive concept. The native grass will be more A safe alternative.

Thanks to Dr. Alibrandi for providing the solution to keep our sports grounds with natural grass. There is no doubt that the number of people involved in our school system is average. Our school committee is volunteers, many coaches and others are fighting for a sports complex, they take our children to heart, but this plastic product is no longer a best practice. This plastic field has its ups and downs. We share honor and disgrace. In fact, this is the slogan of MVRHS "We are ONE". So let's get together to find the solution for the best grass selection. Avoid legal proceedings regarding PFAS and our drinking water. As you pointed out, landscape and environmental technologies are changing every day. We can do this together. If this private donor only supports projects in the plastics sector, we can raise funds. If we are invited, we will support grassland solutions. This is about transparency, ethics and being an example of what we need to do to help our planet heal and grow as we enter a period of environmental crisis.

The PFAS environmental disaster in Hoosick Falls, New York polluted their water supply, not caused by fire fighting foam! Maybe you haven't had a chance to read the newspaper.

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