ERASSTRI - European risk assessment study on synthetic turf rubber infill – Part 3: Exposure and risk characterisation

As the final part of a Europe-wide study on the risk from synthetic turf infill consisting of rubber granules derived from end-of-life tyres (ELT), exposure of sportspeople was assessed and compared with health-based reference values for various chemical substances. Based on information from previous project phases, exposure scenarios were established and exposure was calculated for oral, dermal and inhalation routes. Calculated cancer risks for exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were below 1:1 million. Risk characterisation ratios (RCRs) for non-carcinogenic substances were below 1, indicating no health concerns. For 2-hydroxybenzothiazole no toxicological data were found from which to derive a substance-specific reference value. A threshold-of-toxicological concern approach revealed maximum RCRs slightly above 1, which are acceptable, given the conservativism of the approach. ERASSTRI substantially improved the data available for assessing human health risks from using ELT-derived infill material. Overall, no health concerns could be identified for the use of synthetic turfs with ELT-derived infill material.