Mount Sinai Experts Support Communities by Advocating for Natural Playgrounds and Fields over Hazardous Artificial Turf Surfaces
“We know that chemicals are present that wouldn’t be allowed in products for children,” says Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Position Statement on the Use of Artificial Turf Surfaces
The Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Institute for Climate Change, Environmental Health, and Exposomics recommends against the installation of artificial turf playing surfaces and fields due to the uncertainties surrounding the safety of these products and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.
FEATURED STUDY: The Effect of Air Pollution on Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a major public health concern rising rapidly, with the number of people diagnosed with the disease worldwide more than doubling in the past 20 years. Researchers from the Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomic Research found that exposure to air pollution was associated with higher risks for developing diabetes.