To the Editor:

As a Wilton High School junior, a member of two high school sports teams, and an avid recreational athlete, I understand the push for more sports facilities and a new artificial turf field. But sacrificing the safety of our town’s young athletes, Allen’s Meadow’s natural beauty, and public health is not the answer our town should be looking for.

So, what’s so dangerous about this [proposed] field? Aside from the increased injury risks turf fields pose to players, turfs contain per- and polyfluorinated substances (or PFAs for short). These chemicals belong to a group of chemicals coined “forever chemicals” because their chemical stability prevents them from breaking down, instead allowing them to last for years and bioaccumulate in the environment and living organisms. This means PFA chemical contamination is particularly dangerous; not only do the chemicals cause adverse health effects (which I’ll get to later), but they also stay in the environment and contaminated sources for years.

Why is this important? Shown in this image (at left) is a map of aquifers and potential drinking water. The Allen’s area, shaded in tan, is directly over a groundwater reserve designated as potential drinking water by CT DEEP. In addition, the Norwalk River and Goetzen Brook run directly through Allen’s as well. This means that any PFA contamination on the field can find its way directly into drinking water — that would lead to a whole load of issues.

According to a study conducted by the Norwalk River Watershed Association on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, increased PFAs contamination has already been found downriver of the artificial turf fields at the high school. When PFA concentrations were tested at four sites upstream of [Kristine] Lilly Field, the total concentrations added up to a range of 5.35 to 9.76 ng/L. At a test site downstream of the turf field, however, the total PFA concentration was 18.04 ng/L, roughly double the amount.

Finally, on to the dangers PFAs cause. More and more scientists have begun to study chemical contamination’s effects, leading to the consensus that PFAs directly mess with human development. I[’ve] link[ed] specific studies below, but the chemicals have been shown to cause neurotoxicity (adverse alteration of the nervous system), immunotoxicity (adverse alteration of the immune system), cancer, and other harmful health effects by disrupting the normal human body’s signaling and chemical pathways. The chemicals are considered so dangerous that 122 countries even signed a national treaty in 2001, the Stockholm Convention, to restrict their production and use. Furthermore, the EPA has said that virtually any PFA contamination in drinking water poses a risk to human health. These substances are not what we want in our drinking and usable water.

In all, the prevalence of harmful industrial pollutants on turf fields, as well as Allen’s Meadow’s proximity to an aquifer and the Norwalk River, make the current plan incredibly dangerous for public health. To learn more about the drawbacks of turf fields, attend the “Hazards of Artificial Turf: Learn the Latest from Leading Health & Science Experts” webinar on Wednesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m., where prominent experts in the field will be answering any questions you may have.

As a student and teenager in Wilton, I see and understand the excitement surrounding this proposed field; even so, its risks cannot be ignored. For the safety of our town and its future, I hope the town makes the well-educated and thoughtful decision to preserve Wilton’s natural beauty and to keep our residents safe.

Shawn Gregory

Representative Sample of PFA Literature