Table 4.

Public health comparison values potentially applicable for evaluating synthetic turf sampling results.

Synthetic turf medium	Comparison value	Purpose for which value was developed	Potential applicability to synthetic turf	Limitations
Turf fibers	300 mg/kg	Statutory limit on lead content of consumer products intended for use by childrena	To determine if turf fibers contain lead at levels that may warrant dust sampling	Frequency/duration of exposure to turf is likely less than for toys and other children’s consumer products
Turf dust	400 mg/kg	Hazard standard for lead in bare residential soil (children’s play areas) (U.S. EPA 2001)	To determine if the concentration of lead in dust poses a potential lead exposure hazard	Standards designed to be protective of young children in a residential setting
	1,200 mg/kg	Hazard standard for lead in bare residential soil (yard-wide average) (U.S. EPA 2001)		Greater likely potential for exposure to soil/dust in a residential setting than to dust on synthetic turf
	40 μg/ft2	Hazard standard for lead in dust on floors (including carpeted floors) (U.S. EPA 2001)		40 μg/ft2 standard may be more reasonable for turf applications such as in indoor play areas or child care centers where children may have prolonged exposure, than for athletic fields where children are less likely to have frequent, prolonged turf contact Turf measurements greater than the hazard standard do not necessarily suggest a hazard comparable to an exceedance of the standard in a residential setting

^aCPSIA (2008). As of 10 February 2009, the standard was 600 mg/kg. Effective14 August 2009, the standard was reduced to 300 mg/kg. Effective 14 August 2011, the standard will be further reduced to 100 mg/kg unless the CPSC determines that 100 mg/kg is not technologically feasible for a product or product category