ETRMA welcomes EU policy move to reduce PAH limit in infill materials

Brussels – The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has welcomed a European Commission’s move to lower the concentration limit of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in synthetic turf infill materials.
 
On 20 July, the European Commission lowered the limit of PAHs in granules and mulches used as infill materials for synthetic turf or playgrounds from the current 100mg/kg to 20mg/kg.
 
“ETRMA welcomes the publication today of regulation 2021/1199 on polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as the limit of 20 mg/kg for PAH on granules used as infill,” said the association.
 
The decision, it said, supports the findings of a two-year study by the industry on the effects of end-of-life tire (ELT) derived rubber granules on human health.
 
The restrictions will apply from 10 Aug 2022, according to ETRMA. 
 
The approval is unlikely to impact the use of end-of-life tires (ELTs) as rubber infill in sports pitches, according to ETRMA secretary general Fazilet Cinaralp.
 
“In end-of-life tires PAHs are present as impurities, with reported levels of 12 ppm in average, and rarely reaching 20ppm,” Cinaralp told ERJ in a written statement.
 
The regulation, she said, “will add trust, strengthen the market, and help add transparency on the use of granules as infill material.”