The industry and others say the turf is safe, but one coach found a terrible coincidence between artificial turf and several soccer players.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
FACT TOUCH DOWN THROUGHOUT THAT STATE CAUSING ALL SORTS OF DAMAGE TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
>>> NOW WE TURN TO OUR NBC NEWS INVESTIGATION. IT'S SOMETHING A LOT OF PARENTS AND ATHLETES ARE GOING TO WANT TO SEE. IT'S ABOUT ARTIFICIAL TURF ON THE FOOTBALL FIELDS AND SOCCER FIELDS THAT SO MANY OF OUR CHILDREN PLAY ON ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE MATERIAL USED AS A GRANULAR SYNTHETIC DIRT BETWEEN THE PIECES OF ARTIFICIAL GRASS BE HARMFUL? IT STARTS WITH A SOCCER COACH WHO NOTICED SOMETHING ABOUT TWO OF HER PLAYERS WHO DEVELOPED CANCER. AND SHE LEARNED OF OTHER YOUNG ATHLETES WITH SIMILAR STORIES. NBC'S STEPHANIE GOSK HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE STORY FOR MONTHS AND TONIGHT HAS OUR EXCLUSIVE REPORT.
>> Reporter: FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS SOCCER HAS BEEN AMY GRIFFIN'S PROFESSION AND PASSION.
>> I LOVE THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF SPORTS. THERE'S NOT MANY JOBS ARE YOU FEEL THE ECSTASY OF VICTORY AND THE AGONY OF DEFEAT.
>> Reporter: BUT THERE WAS ONE LOW THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COACH DIDN'T SEE COMING. TWO OF HER GOALKEEPERS DIAGNOSED WITH NONHODGKINS LYMPHOMA.
>> SHE SAYS THAT'S THE FOURTH GOALKEEPER I'VE HOOKED UP THIS WEEK.
>> Reporter: SHE REMEMBERS A CONVERSATION WITH HER PLAYER THAT NOW HAUNTS HER.
>> I HAVE A FEELING IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THOSE BLACK DOTS.
>> THIS IS THE STUFF EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT.
>> Reporter: SOCKER AND FOOTBALL PLAYERS ALIKE ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEM. THE BLACK DOTS ARE ACTUALLY SHREDDED CAR AND TRUCK TIRES USED IN FIELDS TO FILL THE SPACE BETWEEN ARTIFICIAL BLADES OF GRASS. THEY CONTAIN ALL THE SAME CHEMICALS FOUND IN MOST TIRES. THE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR CANCER RESEARCH LABELS FOUR CARCINOGENS. WHILE ADDING THAT AT LOW LEVELS OF EXPOSURE THERE ARE CONSIDERED SAFE. ON A SOCCER FIELD GOALKEEPERS MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLAYER ROLL AROUND ON THE TURF EVERY PRACTICE.
>> YOU DON'T EAT TIRES. YET WE WERE. AS GOALIES OR PLAYERS, YOU WOULD GET IT IN YOUR MOUTH AND YOU WOULDN'T THINK ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: JORDAN STARTING PLAYING GOALIE ON TURF WHEN SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. SOME WEEKS IN HIGH SCHOOL PRACTICING AS MANY AS 20 HOURS OF CRUMB RUBBER. AT AGE 21 SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NONHODGKINS LYMPHOMA.
>> I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT.
>> Reporter: THE FORMER GOALIE IS ON THE LIST, NAMES THE COACH CONTINUES TO GATHER OF PLAYERS WHO DEVELOP DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCERS. 38 ALTOGETHER, 34 ARE SOCCER PLAYERS. ANNIKA, 18 YEARS OLD, EMMA, 15. A LIST IS NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF. THERE'S NO RESEARCH DIRECTLY LINKING CHROME RUBBER EXPOSURE TO CANCER.
>> MANY ARE RELATED CANCERS, BUT THERE ARE OTHERS IN THERE TOO. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IN GENERAL IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO STUDY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE AND CANCER.
>> Reporter: NO AVAILABLE STUDIES REPLICATE GOALKEEPERS' PLAYING CONDITIONS. BUT MANY RESEARCHERS, STATES AND LOCALITIES DEFEND THE TURF SAFETY. DAVIS LEE HAS A Ph.D. IN CHEMISTRY AND SITS ON THE SYNTHETIC TURF COUNCIL BOARD.
>> THERE'S CERTAINLY A PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE TO THIS POINT THAT SAYS IN FACT IT IS SAFE.
>> Reporter: AN NBC NEWS INVESTIGATION PUT THAT ASSERTION TO THE TEST. GATHERING AVAILABLE STUDIES AND SPEAKING WITH PEDIATRICIANS, SCIENTISTS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS WHO SAY MORE RESEARCH SHOULD BE DOWN.
>> TURF FIELDS COME WITH A NUMBER OF REAL RISKS AND A NUMBER OF REAL BENEFITS. AND EVERY COMMUNITY THAT'S BASED WITH DECIDING WHAT THEY WANT TO PUT IN HAS TO KIND OF WEIGH IN THE DIFFERENT RISKS AND BENEFITS FOR THAT SITUATION.
>> Reporter: AMONG THE AVAILABLE STUDIES THE SYNTHETIC TURF COUNCIL POINTS TO IS ONE IN 2009. THE AGENCY ITSELF DESCRIBES THE CONCLUSIONS AS LIMITED. NBC NEWS REPEATEDLY REQUESTED AN INTERVIEW, BUT AFTER SEVERAL E-MAILS AND TWO PHONE CALLS, THE EPA REFUSED. IN A STATEMENT A SPOKESPERSON SAYS THE USE OF CRUMB RUBBER REMAINS A STATE AND LOCAL DECISION. AND MORE TESTING NEEDS TO BE DONE. IF MORE RESEARCH NEEDS TO BE DONE, WHY ARE WE ALLOWING OUR CHILDREN TO PLAY ON THIS SURFACE?
>> SURE. WELL, MORE RESEARCH CAN ALWAYS BE DONE. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT THE SYNTHETIC TURF IS SAFE. WE'VE GOT 14 STUDIES ON OUR WEBSITE THAT SAYS WE CAN FIND NO NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS.
>> Reporter: PRO-ATHLETES AND SCHOOL KIDS ALIKE ARE PLAYING ON MORE THAN 5,000 CRUMB RUBBER FIELDS AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND THE FIELDS HAVE ALREADY STIRRED SOME CONTROVERSY. THE NEW YORK CITY PARKS DEPARTMENT AND THE LOS ANGELES SCHOOL SYSTEM NO LONGER INSTALL THE SURFACE CITING MULTIPLE HEALTH CONCERNS. OTHER CITIES APPLAUD THE FIELDS BECAUSE THEY SAY THE TURF IS CHEAPER AND MORE DURABLE THAN GRASS AND PROVIDES MORE OUTDOOR SPACE FOR KIDS TO PLAY. BUT GRIFFIN WORRIES.
>> I WOULD LOVE SOMEONE TO SAY WE'VE DONE SOME TESTS AND WE'VE COVERED ALL OF OUR BASES. AND, YES, IT'S SAFE. AND THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
>> Reporter: YOU WANT TO BE PROVED WRONG?
>> I WOULD LOVE TO BE PROVED WRONG.
>> COACH GRIFFIN IS THE FIRST TO SAY SHE IS NOT A SCIENTIST AND SHE TELLS ME THAT THE AWARENESS RAISED ON THIS ISSUE WILL GENERATE THE RESEARCH SHE AND OTHERS THINK IS NEEDED. NOW, WE HAVE POSTED MUCH MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE ALONG WITH A DEDICATED E-MAIL ADDRESS