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THE EVOLUTION OF
SYNTHETIC TURF
1G surfaces:
Non-filled synthetic turf products
2G surfaces:
Shorter and denser sand-based or dressed surfaces with a pile height of usually less than 24mm
3G surfaces:
Long-pile synthetic grass with a pile height of 40mm to 60mm. Typically filled with a combination of sand and performance infill
product is designed without the need
for sports performance infills – and is
then recognised and graded as a new technology by sports bodies – that we can legitimately start talking about 4G surfaces.
Historical background
Synthetic turf has been around in one form or another since the 1970s, with the first generation of non-filled products (or 1G) which were used for hockey and American football. The 1980s then saw the emergence of the second generation (2G), which were sand-filled surfaces used primarily for hockey, but also common in multi-sport facilities. They were highly influential, moving the sport of hockey from its original natural
turf surface and making it the fast-paced, much more dynamic game we see today.
This was followed, in the 1990s, by sand-filled surfaces developing into a combination of sand-dressed, hockey- specific products and sand-filled multisport products. These products were also used for football, but the performance they offered differed widely from natural grass.
The next major development took place
in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with
the introduction of third generation (3G) surfaces, designed to replicate natural turf pitches, initially for football but then also
for rugby and Gaelic sports. For the past 20 years or so, 3G surfaces have been the ‘go to’ surface for community football in the UK.
The role of sports performance infill has been crucial in 3G pitches becoming the
Hockey is mainly played on 2G pitches, due to the
“shorter pile height
For the past 20 years or so, 3G surfaces
have been the ‘go to’ surface for community football in the UK
success they have. In the vast majority of systems this infill material is derived from end- of-life tyres, a recycled material which is low in cost, offers elastic properties and is durable.
There were some concerns over the use of recycled rubber in the infill and, as a result, in 2016, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) launched a study to assess whether these concerns were justified – and if restrictions
on the use of ELT infill were required. The conclusion was that they were not. In 2021 ECHA decided to set a maximum level of eight key PAH chemicals at 20mg/kg. PAHs are a widely occurring group of hydrocarbons that people are most commonly exposed
to through breathing air contaminated by motor vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke or wood smoke. People also digest PAHs when they eat grilled or charred meats or foods.
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