Kailez Campbell, a 20-year-old student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, grew up playing soccer in Blaine, which is home to the National Sports Center, the world’s largest amateur sports facility, according to the company.
In an effort to upgrade the facility, the Blaine City Council last week approved $12 million in property tax abatement to help fund the installation of 10 new artificial turf fields. But Campbell, as well as Blaine City Council member Lori Saroya and other residents, have voiced concerns about the potential for forever chemicals in the synthetic turf.
“Blaine has an identity as a major soccer city, and that means decisions about our sports infrastructure impacts countless young athletes and their families,” Campbell said. “With so many kids and young adults playing on these fields, the potential exposure and its lifelong health implications are a significant concern for our community.”
As the January 2025 date that a statewide ban on the chemicals approaches, and the debate around how to regulate the forever chemicals picks up steam nationwide, Saroya and others are calling on the city to do more research and public engagement before going forward with the project.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known commonly as PFAS, are man-made, long lasting chemicals used in countless types of commercial and industrial products that have been found to have contaminated waterways and negatively affected wildlife and the environment at large. The substances can be breathed in, ingested or absorbed via skin, leading to severe health impacts, including several types of cancer.
“We don’t have the information, our city has not done the research and we haven’t read the studies that are out there,” Saroya said in an interview. “We don’t know the impact that the turf fields will have on children in the long run, and so all we’re asking is we need to do our due diligence to ensure that these turf fields are safe.”
Amara’s Law, passed by Minnesota lawmakers last session, bans the sales of 11 categories of products that have PFAS intentionally added to them starting in 2025. The new law, which many have called the most robust PFAS legislation in the nation, also includes new reporting of PFAS in products by 2026 and a ban on all nonessential uses of the forever chemicals by 2032.
Among the 11 categories banned by the new law is carpets and rugs, which is described by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as any fabric intended for use as a floor covering and includes car floor mats, outdoor rugs and synthetic turf.
In a statement, city spokesman Ben Hayle said city staff contacted the National Sports Center last week to ask about the possible presence of PFAS in the synthetic turf planned for the proposed project. FieldTurf, the company that manufactures the turf fields, told the city that no PFAS of concern were found in the fibers it manufactures.
“Even further the turf was tested for all PFAS and based on that evaluation, the detection of very low levels of a limited number of PFAS in the synthetic turf components did not represent a human health risk to those using the synthetic turf,” Haynes said in the statement.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom late last year signed into law a bill that allows local governments to implement its own artificial turf bans, which undoes a previous law that prevented local governments from doing that during a time when artificial turf was seen as a remedy during extreme drought conditions. The reversal came as more became known about PFAS and its health risks, and more states nationwide are proposing and passing legislation to regulate the chemical.
Saroya raised concerns about the potential for PFAS in an email to the city engineer, who told the council member that the proposed project had been through a watershed permitting process and was granted a permit on April 8. But the engineer also made clear that city staff only reviews plans related to grading, fencing and lighting but does not review or certify the installation of the fields.
Going forward, Saroya said the city should hold off on the project until the city can do a proper environmental impact study on the new fields, while informing Blaine residents of the project and engaging them each step of the way, citing the other local governments in California and around the nation that are grappling with how to regulate turf that contains PFAS.
“For us to not even have that debate is what’s really concerning to me,” she said. “Let’s have that debate, let’s inform residents, let’s be transparent and open about it and have that conversation before we invest $12 million into this and regret it a year from now.”
Mohamed Ibrahim
Mohamed Ibrahim is MinnPost’s environment and public safety reporter. He can be reached at mibrahim@minnpost.com.
