Editor:
You can see it in the San Francisco Chronicle every Sunday: “Earthweek: Diary of a Changing World,” by Steve Newman
“A new study (by University of Rhode Island scientists) finds the microplastic pollution that now permeates the planet can travel to the brain and cause behavioral changes.” – Week ending Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
“A new study by the Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto found microplastics now contaminate more than a dozen kinds of protein consumed by humans, including beef, breaded shrimp and even tofu.” – Week ending Friday, Feb. 2.
“Studies have found that microplastic pollution is accumulating not only in our arteries, but also in all 62 human placentas examined. … the particles have also recently been found in human blood and breast milk, which indicates we are being exposed to the pollution on a massive scale, as are other creatures. ‘If we’re seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted,” said lead researcher Matthew Campen of the University of New Mexico.'” – Week ending Friday, March 1.
Artificial turf should never have been used in Golden Gate Park or San Francisco playing fields. It is toxic, pollutes the environment and poses a danger to all San Franciscans. The plastic grass is continually shedding micro-plastics and can’t be recycled or disposed of in a landfill. Phil Ginsburg, the General Manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and Mark Buell, former President of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Commission, are directly responsible for the presence of artificial turf in our parks. To this day, artificial turf and rubberized surfaces are being installed in playing fields and playgrounds. Micro-plastic pollution is a threat to all life on the planet. (see “Microplastics in Clouds Could Be ‘Contaminating Nearly Everything We Eat and Drink’: Study” By Brett Wilkins commondreams.org Sept 29. 2023)
To quote from the Petition (by the Sierra Club) requesting the City reject the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the renovation of the Beach Chalet Soccer Fields:
“4. The artificial turf the City has elected to use consists of plastic blades of grass interspersed with infill material that cushions the turf. Unfortunately, the City has elected to use the most toxic type of artificial turf infill material – styrene butadiene crumb rubber (“SBR”), despite the fact that several non-toxic alternatives are available and are in use in places including Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Carlos, California; Piedmont, California; and dozens of other communities.”
“Scientists have shown that both the grass-like blades and the backing of artificial turf contain PFAS, highly toxic fluorinated chemicals. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” since they accumulate in the body and do not break down. They have been linked to endocrine disruption and cancer. Children are especially vulnerable to harm from PFAS because of their developing bodies and the chemicals’ persistence in the body. Most people think manufacturers must prove that chemicals are safe before they put them on the market. They are wrong. Weak and outdated federal law presumes that most chemicals are safe until proven toxic.” – “Real Grass for Healthy Kids!” greenwichfreepress.com March 12, 2021.
Please, Phil Ginsburg, stop poisoning our world.
David Romano
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Hear , hear, thank you David Romano!
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Ginsburg should have been fired long ago but our absentee gutless mayor is afraid to get rid of him! Vote the mayor out and Ginsburg be gone as well. Well written and thank you Mr. Romano!
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Ginsburg could care less.
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As long as he can monetize the parks and fields in this city, he will do it. There needs to be a financial accounting and review of Park and Wreck. We need a strong mayor to get rid of him and Tumlin.
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There’s one important point missing. Granted it may not have clear at the time the renovation of the Beach Chalet was put before the voters. While artificial turf may not have been a primary focus the environmental issues Writ large were fully vetted in the campaign. In the pre GrowSF era the ‘soccer moms’ prevailed. Now we have the artificial turf and stadium lights shining until 10pm 365 days of the year. The public kicked away its opportunity to stop this environmental disaster.
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I’m no fan of Phil Ginsburg, and we all want a safe, clean environment, but the author would win more support by conceding a critical point, which is that the renovated Beach Chalet Fields are an extremely valuable facility to San Francisco children and adults. Public middle school and high school teams play their games there. Average, everyday San Franciscans use the facility year round. This was not the case when the fields were choppy mud bogs that were closed down 1/2 the year. The renovation is a huge success for SF families, and if there was sufficient space to build more of these facilities in the City, those facilities would also be packed year round. Take note that the recently renovated Crocker Amazon fields (packed every day and night) have natural infill, a type of natural cork product. I’m certain that when the Beach Chalet fields are up for renewal, the replacement infill will be the more natural stuff. Paying Rec and Park to grow and maintain safe grass fields is not cost effective, particularly in San Francisco. More turf soccer fields please!
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In March of 2019, the Commonwealth Club of California presented an onstage discussion entitled “Naturally Wired: Getting Outside in the Digital Age.” The subject was, “What does it take to get people off their phones and into the outdoors?” This begs the question of how much of the outdoors will be left uncontaminated in a world of increasing plastic pollution and global warming and how degraded will that outdoors become in our urban environment? Phil Ginsberg, the head of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD), was one of the participants onstage. In response to a question from Kathleen McCowin, President of Healthy Soccer San Francisco, concerning the cancer risks associated with playing on the artificial turf fields installed at the Beach Chalet Soccer Fields, Ginsberg began his reply with, “Now that’s a fun question.”
How is that a “fun question”? A concerned citizen asks about the cancer risks to children from playing on artificial turf and that is a “fun question”? Ginsburg sidesteps any concerns about carcinogens and goes on to say, “So here’s the thing about synthetic turf soccer fields is that they enable more people to use them and to play and they do it without actually using or conserving water. We’ve been able to add nearly 80,000 hours of playing each hour of play actually can accommodate 20 to 40 kids in a particular spot in an urban city that’s particularly important.”
It is entirely misleading to compare the hours of play at the Beach Chalet Soccer Fields (BCSF) before the renovation to hours of play after the renovation. Prior to the renovation, the SFRPD had put a fence around the field and locked the children out. The fields were deliberately neglected and kept in a state of disrepair to bolster City Fields Foundation’s case for artificial turf. No wonder the Soccer Fields were under-utilized. Phil Ginsburg as well as being head of the SFRPD also sat on the Board of City Fields Foundation, the main advocate for artificial turf playing fields in San Francisco. The additional 80,000 hours of play is easy to achieve when you’ve previously taken the fields out of play.
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