The use of synthetic turf is exploding around the country as more and more public sports fields are being converted to synthetic turf. But along with this popularity has come increased scrutiny. The synthetic turf infill crumb rubber is now being questioned by the public and organizations because of its purported adverse health effects.

Some claim that merely being exposed to it poses a health risks to children, while others claim that it has to be ingested to be harmful. Nevertheless, a representative for the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery says that the tests that have been completed have consistently reported that recycled crumb rubber on synthetic turf fields is not harmful enough to be prohibited. Also, the department is planning to study the health effects of "chronic" ingestion of crumb rubber infill from synthetic turf, which we can be certain will come back with negative results for infill because chronically ingesting any non-organic compound can't have salutary effects.

Furthermore a state toxicologist in Connecticut says that because children play on the synthetic turf fields and synthetic turf playgrounds installed with crumb rubber so infrequently, their exposure can't be considered chronic.

The debate and conjecture will have to continue until conclusive tests are conducted.

London is becoming the European epicenter of the artificial grass revolution! And the revolution isn’t limited to grass products, either – other verticals are adopting artificial plastic products because of increased demand and popularity.

According to the Telegraph, fake flowers are the new hot item for purchase as a gift during Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day this year, and that at least for one flower seller, sales have increased by more than 70 percent since last year around the same time. Their popularity is due to their hypoallergenic character and the fact that the technologies have advanced so far in the last few years that the silk flowers we’re all used to have become obsolete.

Same thing with artificial grass, apparently. Artificial grass lawns in London are cropping up due to their low maintenance costs, and the fact that you don’t have to worry about ugly dead grass patches or weeds crawling all over the place. In fact, artificial grass owners in London are so happy with their investments in artificial grass that once they install the artificial grass they even feel the need to convert all of their friends and neighbors to artificial grass. Many people’s first impulse is to dismiss artificial grass, because they aren’t aware of the huge leaps the technology has undergone recently.

If you’re a homeowner and are thinking about putting an artificial grass putting green in your back yard, you may want to heed this story. In Nebraska, a homeowner who installed a putting green in his yard after purportedly getting it approved by his homeowners association, is now being ordered to permanently remove it and replace it with natural grass and install a sprinkler system. The homeowner has taken the case to an appeals court to get it overturned.

Nebraska is currently in a drought, but that hasn’t stopped homeowners associations from cleaving to their archaic preconceptions of what a yard should look like and ruthlessly protecting their properties from being devalued by the homeowner in question’s "progressive” putting green.

Despite the fact that the putting green saves water and actually looks better than natural grass, the homeowners association, Fire Ridge Estates Homeowners Association, has decided to bully the homeowner. The homeowner claims that the homeowners association hasn’t universally applied their other policies and hence are showing themselves to be exemplars of selective enforcement, witch-hunting homeowners whom they simply don’t like for one reason or another, while conniving at the violations of others who happen to be in their favor.

The Board of Education in Parsippany, New Jersey, has decided to install synthetic turf in two of the local high schools in the area. The Board of Education has said that they are doing so because synthetic turf installed at the schools will be a benefit to the students and to the community.

The synthetic turf installations at the two high schools will cost a total of $2.7 million. One high school field’s conversion will cost $1.5 million and the other will cost $1.2 million. The installation will be done during the summer and they hope to have it completed before the beginning of the next football season.

The contractor who will be working on the installation of the two synthetic turf fields has said that the installation is a bit more expensive because of more extensive structural modifications that must be completed with respect to drainage. It’s worth paying more up front to get the installation done correctly than pay for it in expensive hazards later on.

The sports that will be played on the fields are football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse.

It looks like installing synthetic turf is not just a passing fad but rather the new standard in high school sports fields.

You can’t keep a good idea down, as artificial turf is now coming to a high school in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. According to a report, the turf field will enable the high school on whose field it is being installed to derive greater use from the fields for sports team activities, community club activities and for PE classes.

This particular project will cost a little over 1 million dollars ($1.3 million) and artificial turf installation will begin this semester and will be completed just in time for the football season next semester.

The idea of installing artificial turf in the high school’s sports fields was first discussed a few years ago. The supporters of the idea expounded on the fact that a sports field fitted with artificial turf has unlimited use because the players and students etc. can play on it whenever they want without having to worry about getting rained out and so on. They also cited artificial turf’s lowered maintenance costs, lowered water usage, and increased potential for revenue generation.

They also mentioned the fact that when the school isn’t using it, the school could make money by renting it out to other organizations. A great idea for generating additional revenue.

Are you on the market for an artificial grass product? Do you need some help interpreting all of the characteristics of artificial grass? That's OK; it's a common problem. Some things to consider when choosing your artificial grass surface are pile height, fiber thickness and the infill color.

As regards fiber thickness, if you're installing in a yard and don't expect it to receive much use, a thin-fibered artificial grass may be the best option; it will feel softer than the thicker fibered grasses. If however you're installing it in a backyard that will be the location of a lot of activity such as sports practicing or dog playing, a thick fibered artificial grass might be a better option.

As regards pile height, shorter pile heights are most commonly used in sports fields. Taller pile heights are usually used in other settings.

The last thing to think about is the infill color. You can pick an artificial grass that you like based on the color, but you also have to be aware of how it will look when combined with the infill. Black infill materials, such as crumb rubber, will make the artificial grass look darker, whereas lighter infills, such as a green infill, will make it look relatively lighter.

Are you wondering what the synthetic grass cost is? Synthetic grass cost varies from vendor to vendor and from variety to variety. Some are more expensive than others because the materials are more expensive or they are made from more materials, etc. So, what synthetic grass cost is depends on a number of factors.

Synthetic grass cost is generally determined by the square footage. Let’s look at two synthetic grass costs for comparison. One artificial grass may be $3.25 per square foot, while another is $3.75 per square foot. The artificial grass which costs $3.25 per square foot may have a face weight of 4 oz. and have a pile height of 5/8 inches. The other artificial grass which costs 3.75 per square foot may have a face weight of 80 oz. and a pile height of 1 ¾ inches. The extra face weight and pile height make the latter artificial grass more expensive. More face weight and more pile length means more materials and labor go into its production, which means that it’s more expensive. Thus, thicker and heavier grasses are generally more expensive than thinner, lighter grasses.

These are the things that go into the synthetic grass cost. When weighing synthetic grass cost, consider the abovementioned variables.

Have you been thinking about getting your dog a porch potty? A porch potty could be a worthwhile investment. But an even better investment than a porch potty would be to install artificial grass in your yard, or to create a dog run in an area of your yard and then install artificial grass in that area. Artificial grass is the ideal groundcover for receiving your dog's "businesses."

The main complaint people have about porch potties is that the pads that go on top have to be replaced every couple of months. This adds up after a few years and can be a pain in the butt if you're a busy person.

This is why installing artificial grass in your yard is the better option than a porch potty. Yes, it's more expensive than a porch potty, but it's easier to manage, and the liquids naturally drain straight through, and you don't have to remove it manually. A properly installed artificial grass dog run is easy to maintain and won't smell bad if installed with a product called ZeoFill, which is an infill that absorbs pet odors. All you would have to do is manually remove the solid pet wastes, and the artificial grass dog run would do the work for you. No more ordering pad replacements every few months.

PetGrass-85 is the best option for fake grass for dogs available today on the market.

Artificial grass is very common these days, especially in sports fields. With popularity comes criticism. The latest criticism is targeted at the crumb rubber infill commonly used in artificial grass sports field installations. Parents are concerned about their kids being exposed to such rubber materials. The materials get caught in their cleats and then the children bring their cleats inside the house, where rubber supposedly shouldn't exist.

It must be said that crumb rubber is not decisively adverse. No sufficient tests have been completed. The tests that have been completed indicate that the ill health effects are not enough to cause worry. But since the tests that have been conducted weren't very rigorous, parents are still concerned because of the amount of time their children spend on the playing fields and artificial grass.

Senator Jerry Hill in California has proposed banning crumb rubber in sports fields until conclusive tests can be conducted on artificial grass rubber infill. Artificial grass sports fields can still be installed under this bill if they use crumb rubber alternatives. Crumb rubber alternatives include silica sand and organic infills.

Until more conclusive tests can be done, the controversy will have to continue. Hopefully Senator Jerry Hill's tests will offer conclusive evidence that can put this controversy to rest.