Dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ found in old samples of turf from Phillies’ Veterans Stadium
After sixth former Phillies player died of brain cancer last year, an investigation into the artificial turf the team used to play on found it contained highly dangerous chemicals.
The Phillies played on artificial turf at Veterans Stadium from 1971 to 2003, and the death of pitcher David West last year continued a troubling trend.
Now, there is evidence that the surface was contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’, which the EPA says cause ‘adverse health effects that can devastate families’, after the philadelphia enquirer did test the grass.
After the publication purchased souvenir samples of grass that had been used between 1977 and 1981 on Ebay, tests by Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Environmental Testing on two samples revealed that the grass contained 16 different types of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl.
The University of Notre Dame researchers also found PFAS in two other samples.
David West’s death from brain cancer last year prompted an investigation into the trend.
The Philadelphia Inquirer purchased souvenir swatches of Veterans Stadium turf for the study.
According to the Inquirer, “The brain cancer rate among Phillies who played at the Vet between 1971 and 2003 is about three times the average rate among adult men.”
Aside from West, five ex-Phillies have died of brain cancer: Ken Brett (2003), Tug McGraw (2004), Johnny Oates (2004), John Vukovich (2007) and Darren Daulton (2017).
“It’s a group and it needs to be looked at,” Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel said during a network segment last year, four days after former pitcher West died of brain cancer at 57. years.
“The number of fatal brain cancer incidents is about three in 100,000,” Siegel continued. ‘This is three or four times that or more.’
Their numbers differ slightly from those of the National Cancer Institute, which says that 4.4 people die of brain or other nervous system cancer out of 100,000 Americans, based on data from 2015 to 2019.
According to the NCI, approximately 175,000 Americans were living with brain or other nervous system cancer in 2019.
“We don’t have a good idea of how much was actually ingested, or how much exposure is relevant to cancer risk,” said Timothy Rebbeck, an epidemiologist who researches the causes of cancer at the School of Public Health and Public Health TH Chan from Harvard. a professor of medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said of the Inquirer’s findings.
“We’re never going to have a good measure of what Phillies players were exposed to.”
Tug McGraw (left) and Darren Daulton died of brain cancer after playing for Philadelphia
The Phillies played at Veterans Stadium from 1971 to 2003, on an artificial turf surface.
Ken Brett (left) died in 2003, while David West (right) became the sixth to die last year.
Johnny Oates (left) and John Vukovich (right) died of brain cancer in 2004 and 2007 respectively.
Aside from certain types of cancer, the chemicals are also associated with decreased fertility and immunity to fight infection and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease, according to the report.
In a statement, the Phillies said they share “the frustration and sadness of losing six members of our baseball family to brain cancer.”
The team told the Inquirer that they consulted several brain cancer experts, who told them there is no evidence of a link between artificial turf and the disease.
Among those experts was Kyle Walsh, an associate professor of neurosurgery and pathology at Duke University.
“For six Phillies to develop glioblastoma, on the face of it, seems higher than might be expected,” Walsh said. “But it’s also in that key demographic of who you would expect to develop it.”
The report noted that non-Hispanic white men between the ages of 40 and 70 are most often the victims of the disease, while Walsh said he did not believe that PFAS could be the primary cause of brain cancer.
The turf industry also insisted that its products were safe. “The materials used in synthetic turf have been thoroughly reviewed by federal and state government agencies and are considered non-hazardous,” Melanie Taylor, president and CEO of the Synthetic Turf Council, told The Inquirer.
“In the future, our members will continue to pay close attention to evolving regulations and standards to ensure maximum safety for our products.”
However, in a January 2023 study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, Chinese researchers found that “PFAS exposure could increase the likelihood of developing glioma.”
Siegel also suggested last year that the players may have been exposed to high-frequency microwaves from the radar guns used to measure pitch speeds.
Dr. Marc Siegel suggested that the players may have been exposed to high-frequency microwaves from the radar guns.
“The military has done research on microwaves that are emitted at very high frequency and a lot of exposure,” Siegel said, reminding the audience that five of the six players killed were pitchers or catchers, placing them directly in the crosshairs of radar guns. .
‘You get hundreds of incidents of radar gun use during a game. I’m not saying that’s what it is… but you need to look more closely at the radar gun.
Radiofrequency radiation is not believed to cause cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, but the organization says there remains “concern that, in some circumstances, some forms of non-ionizing radiation may still have other effects on cells than otherwise.” could somehow cause cancer.” ‘
Radar guns are ubiquitous at every level of baseball and never exclusive to Veterans Stadium.
Larry Bowa was the shortstop for the Phillies in 1980 and during the team’s first decade at the Vet. He was close to both Vukovich and McGraw.
“To get that disease at such a young age, you’re scratching your head: ‘Something could be up,'” said Bowa, now 77 and a senior adviser to the Phillies.