No New Information about Artificial Soccer Fields

Applied ErgonomicsVolume 40, Issue 3, May 2009, Pages 485-490
Amateur football game on artificial turf: Players’ perceptions
Elisabetta M. Zanetti, a,
aDepartment of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering (DIIM), University of Catania, V.le Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Ct, Italy
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish whether players’ perceptions in football competitions played on artificial turf can be influenced by the pitch under examination, the kind of infill material used, the weather conditions and by player's role in the team.
A multifactorial statistical analysis was made of the results obtained from over 1600 U.E.F.A. questionnaires completed by amateur footballers.
Pitch and weather factors were demonstrated to be relevant to the aspects investigated. Conversely, the players’ role and the infill material were significant for only a few aspects; for each variable, the analysis indicated the most favourable conditions. Overall, the analysis provided insight into amateur players’ favourable feelings about artificial turf, compared with its natural alternative (actually made of earth, without grass in the case of amateur players).
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BrooklynDodger(s) Comment: The Dodger(s) click up this abstract because there's a concern - maybe a moral panic - about artificial turf on playgrounds in NYC. The Dodger(s) believe(s) some of this concern is the ideal comparison of turf with grass, rather than the actual comparison of turf with packed earth with a few clumps of grass. The chemical exposure comparison in real life is the offgassing of crumb rubber infill with dust maybe containing silica, although the main contaminant is PM2.5 in NYC air. On the other hand, infill turf is a polymeric mat sprinkled with rubber crumbs layered over a bed of sand. Which is a carcinogen, but not one which outgasses.

The Dodger(s) was (were) chagrined [had to look this up. "Chagrinned" is not allowed. Is it really legitimate to make a noun into a verb like this? Intermet dictionary said it was a transitive verb, but the Dodger(s) can't see that. Did the Steelers chagrin the Cardinals in the Superbowl?] to find no more than a hint of the results in the abstract. Where were the reviewers?

It seems like the players prefer turf to dirt. Better living through chemistry.