DRAFT Cinaralp: PAHs approval not to impact ELT infills in pitches

Brussels - A recent approval by the scientific committees of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) will most likely not impact the use of end-of-life tires (ELTs) as rubber infills in sports pitches, according Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA).

“The ECHA… [has concluded] that infill material with levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) below 20 ppm are safe for players. In end-of-life tires PAHs are present as impurities, with reported levels of 12 ppm in average, and rarely reaching 20ppm,” Cinaralp said in a written statement to ERJ.

The proposed measure, she went on to add, “allows to use ELT derived rubber as infill material.”

ECHA announced 18 Sept that its committee for socio-economic analysis (SEAC) and Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) had adopted their final opinion supporting a proposal for restricting eight PAHs found in granules and mulches, used in synthetic turfs.

The proposal, submitted by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) last August, lowers the total concentration limit of eight PAHs to 20 mg/kg (0.002 % by weight).

The concentration limits for PAHs in mixtures supplied to the general public are currently set at 100 mg/kg or 1 000 mg/kg for each of the substances.

According to Cinaralp, the ECHA proposal also includes the obligation to test and label the infill material, securing that only materials with safe levels are used.

“The proposal adds trust to the use of infill material, placing the safety of players at first,” she added.

The listed PAHs all have been identified as causing cancer and the proposed concentration limits, according to ECHA, will be closer to the limit values for individual PAHs in articles supplied to the general public.

Citing a 2017 study, ECHA noted that currently the levels of PAHs measured in granular infill material and mulches pose, at most, “a very low level of concern”.

The aim of the proposed restriction, said the agency, “is to ensure that the cancer risk from PAH exposure remains at a low level for those coming into contact (inhalation and skin contact) with the granules and mulches.”

The proposal does not affect existing fields but will ensure that the material used for maintaining the fields is below the new limit. The final opinion of SEAC will be published in the coming weeks.

Following SEAC’s adoption of its final opinion, the opinions of both RAC and SEAC will be forwarded to the European Commission.

The EC will consider if the conditions for the restriction are met, prepare a draft restriction measure to amend the REACH Restrictions list and submit this for an opinion to member states in the REACH committee.