Despite critics, PS/MS 29 students enjoy new field

Students at PS/MS 29 are enjoying a new playing field outside their school, but some worry that the synthetic turf used in the field is not safe for kids to play on. The $2.4 million playground and ball

News 12 Staff

Apr 20, 2008, 7:00 PM

Updated 6,015 days ago

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Students at PS/MS 29 are enjoying a new playing field outside their school, but some worry that the synthetic turf used in the field is not safe for kids to play on.
The $2.4 million playground and ball field renovation is the first completed permanent project associated with the Yankee Stadium redevelopment project. Unlike other parts of the replacement parkland, the field is a bonus renovation for kids to enjoy, according to the parks commissioner.
The students at the school say the green space is a nice change from the concrete lot it replaced. However, the synthetic turf is causing concern among some critics. Although it is widely used by professional and collegiate athletes, some say it is not safe for kids.
One parks advocate says the turf is dangerous because it gets hotter than grass and emits chemicals. ?There?s arsenic, cadmium, lead in the fields,? Geoffrey Croft says. ?Students shouldn?t be exposed to these chemicals.?
However, the parks commissioner points to a health study that calls the turf safe, saying the department would not do anything to hurt the kids.