A Hypothesis for Increased Cancers in Athletes on Artificial Turf Fields due

to Repeated Static Electrical Charge Buildup and Discharge

Stewart D. Simonson
Abstract
Evidence suggests a growing number of youth soccer players in the U.S. have been diagnosed
with cancer (over 60 percent of which are goalkeepers). Claims have been made that the
increase may be due to the crumb rubber turf and the toxic chemicals which are linked with the
materials used to make the fields. This paper investigates an alternate hypothesis that the
increased cancers by athletes on artificial turf fields are due to repeated electrostatic charge
buildup and electrical discharge due to triboelectric effects from the crumb rubber turf and
plastic blades of grass in contact with players skin and jerseys.
INTRODUCTION
A soccer coach at the University of Washington [1] has developed a list of athletes with cancer
who have played on synthetic turf which now stands at/above 200 athletes, 158 of whom are
soccer players. Of those soccer players, 101 are goalkeepers. Eighty of the athletes on the list
have some form of lymphoma.

Figure 1: Soccer goalies will increase static electrical charge every time they dive onto the
artificial turf

Artificial turf [2] first gained substantial attention in the 1960s, when it was used in the newly
constructed Astrodome. The specific product used was developed by Monsanto and
called AstroTurf; this term since then became a colloquialism for any artificial turf throughout
the late 20th century. AstroTurf remains a registered trademark, but is no longer owned by
Monsanto. The first generation turf systems (i.e., short-pile fibers without infill) of the 1960s
have been largely replaced by the second generation and third generation turf systems. Second
generation synthetic turf systems feature longer fibers and sand infills, and third generation
systems, which are most widely used today, offer infills that are mixtures of sand and granules of
recycled rubber (crumb rubber).
Static electrical charge buildup is a very common problem on artificial turf fields [3],[4],[5].
This is due to the turf being made of non-conductive plastics with non-conductive crumb rubber
fill and so the playing surface is insulated from Earth as a ground. Turf owners are addressing the
problem by spraying water on the fields and/or applying fabric softener. Some manufacturers
are now applying coatings and additives to minimize static buildup and increase conductivity of
the turf and fill material. Overall, there seems to be no good comprehensive solution across the
industry.
DISCUSSION
Static electricity [6] is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material.
The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical
discharge. Static electricity is named in contrast with current electricity, which flows through
wires or other conductors and transmits energy.
A static electric charge is created whenever two surfaces contact and separate, and at least one of
the surfaces has a high resistance to electric current (and is therefore an electrical insulator). The
effects of static electricity are familiar to most people because people can feel, hear, and even see
the spark as the excess charge is neutralized when brought close to a large electrical
conductor (for example, a path to ground such as a metallic goal post that is grounded), or a
region with an excess charge of the opposite polarity (positive or negative, which might be
another soccer player or coach). The familiar phenomenon of a static shockmore specifically,
an electrostatic dischargeis caused by the neutralization of charge, which will also induce
magnetic fields of varying strength.
The triboelectric effect [7] is a type of contact electrification in which certain materials
become electrically charged after they come into frictional contact with a different
material. Rubbing glass with fur, or a comb through the hair, can build up triboelectricity. Most
everyday static electricity is triboelectric. The polarity and strength of the charges produced
differ according to the materials, surface roughness, temperature, strain, and other properties.
The triboelectric effect is not very predictable, and only broad generalizations can be
made. Amber, for example, can acquire an electric charge by contact and separation (or friction)
with a material like wool. This property, first recorded by Thales of Miletus, suggested the word
"electricity" (from William Gilbert's initial coinage, "electra"), from the Greek word for
amber, lektron. The prefix tribo-(Greek for rub) refers to friction, as in tribology. Other
examples of materials that can acquire a significant charge when rubbed together
include hard rubber rubbed with hair.

The triboelectric effect is now considered to be very close to the phenomenon of adhesion, where
two materials composed of different molecules tend to stick together on contact due to a form of
chemical reaction. This is very close to a chemical bond; the adjacent dissimilar molecules
exchange electrons. And when one material is
physically moved away from the other, the bonding
forces we experience are regarded by us as 'friction'.
The result is that excess electrons are left behind in one
material, while a deficit occurs in the other.
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) [8] is the sudden flow
of electricity between two electrically charged objects
caused by contact, an electrical short, or dielectric
breakdown. The ESD occurs when differently-charged
objects are brought close together or when
the dielectric between them breaks down, often creating
a visible spark. Because the surface of the material is
now electrically charged, either negatively or positively,
any contact with an uncharged conductive object or with
an object having substantially different charge may
cause an electrical discharge of the built-up static
electricity: a spark. A person simply walking across a
carpet may build up a potential of many thousands of
volts, enough to cause a spark one centimeter long or
more. Low humidity in the ambient air increases the
voltage at which electrical discharge occurs by
Figure 2: Adhesion of Rubber Crumbs are due to static
increasing the ability of the insulating material
to hold charge by decreasing the conductivity of electrical charge buildup on players skin
the air, making it difficult for the charge build-up to
dissipate gradually.

Electrostatic induction [9] also known as "Electrostatic Influence" or simply "Influence" in

Europe and Latin America (see for instance Wilhelm Holtz influence machine), is a
redistribution of electrical charge in an object, caused by the influence of nearby charges. In the
presence of a charged body, an insulated conductor develops a positive charge on one end and a
negative charge.

Figure 3: Phenomenon of adhesion (electrostatic cling), where two materials composed of

different molecules tend to stick together on contact due to a form of chemical reaction. This is
very close to a chemical bond; the adjacent dissimilar molecules exchange electrons
on the other end. Induction was discovered by British scientist John Canton in 1753 and Swedish
professor Johan Carl Wilcke in 1762. Electrostatic generators, such as the Wimshurst machine,
the Van de Graaff generator and the electrophorus, use this principle. Due to induction,
the electrostatic potential (voltage) is constant at any point throughout a conductor. Electrostatic
Induction is also responsible for the attraction of light nonconductive objects, such as balloons,
paper or styrofoam scraps, to static electric charges. Electrostatic induction laws apply in
dynamic situations as far as the Quasistatic approximation is valid. This is for instance the case
for the capacitor in the Electrical network frame. Electrostatic induction should not be confused
with Electromagnetic induction.

Figure 4: Static electrical charge picked up by goalie will discharge into conductive goal post,
ball, and other players as well as in the air, inducing magnetic field effects.

The energy released in a static electricity discharge may vary over a wide range. The energy in
joules can be calculated from the capacitance (C) of the object and the static potential V in volts
(V) by the formula E = CV2. One experimenter estimates the capacitance of the human body
as high as 400 picofarads, and a charge of 50,000 volts, discharged e.g. during touching a
charged car, creating a spark with energy of 500 millijoules (mJ). Another estimate is 100300
pF and 20,000 volts, producing a maximum energy of 60 mJ. IEC 479-2:1987 states that a
discharge with energy greater than 5000 mJ is a direct serious risk to human health. IEC
60065 states that consumer products cannot discharge more than 350 mJ into a person.
The maximum potential is limited to about 3540 kV, due to corona discharge dissipating the
charge at higher potentials. Potentials below 3000 volts are not typically detectable by humans.
Maximum potential commonly achieved on human body range between 1 and 10 kV, though in
optimal conditions as high as 2025 kV can be reached. Low relative humidity increases the
charge buildup; walking 20 feet (6.1 m) on vinyl floor at 15% relative humidity causes buildup
of voltage up to 12 kilovolts, while at 80% humidity the voltage is only 1.5 kV.
The following table uses the relationship E = CV2 from above to calculate the energy and
cumulative energy discharged into a diving soccer goalie for a range of capacitances and voltage

increases from the artificial turf due to triboelectric effects. Actual voltage increase per dive into
the turf will vary with atmospheric conditions, exposed skin in contact with turf, turf material,
clothing material, etc. and is just an indication of energy transferred to the goalie. During a
practice, a goalie may dive dozens of times into the turf to block shots on goal, building charge
with each dive. Over the course of a season, this may be hundreds of times.

Human
Static
No. of Charge/Discharge
Cumulative
Energy
Body
Potential
Energy
Cycles (Dives into Turf by
Energy
(Joules)
Capacitance (Volts) from
(mJ)
Goalie - Assume Electrical
(mJ)
Transferred
(Farads)
Turf ea. dive
E
Discharge into goal
discharged
from Turf
C
V
post/other players/ball)
into goalie
100
10000
0.005
5
2
10
200
10000
0.01
10
2
20
300
10000
0.015
15
2
30
400
10000
0.02
20
2
40
100
20000
0.02
20
2
40
200
20000
0.04
40
2
80
300
20000
0.06
60
2
120
400
20000
0.08
80
2
160
100
30000
0.045
45
2
90
200
30000
0.09
90
2
180
300
30000
0.135
135
2
270
400
30000
0.18
180
2
360
100
40000
0.08
80
2
160
200
40000
0.16
160
2
320
300
40000
0.24
240
2
480
400
40000
0.32
320
2
640
100
50000
0.125
125
2
250
200
50000
0.25
250
2
500
300
50000
0.375
375
2
750
400
50000
0.5
500
2
1000
Figure 5: Energy and Cumulative Energy discharged into diving soccer goalie from static
electricity from turf. Values in red exceed IEC 60065 consumer product safety levels. Additional
Tables are at the back of this manuscript.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded in 2001 that power
frequency magnetic fields are a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). This classification was
based on the evidence from epidemiological studies of childhood leukemia. The panel rated the
evidence from all other types of cancer, from long-term animal experiments and mechanistic
studies as inadequate. The IARC working group decided that the association between power
frequency magnetic fields and childhood leukemia can be interpreted as only limited evidence
because bias and confounding cannot be ruled out.
Since the evaluation of IARC several other epidemiological studies have been published that
corroborate the earlier findings and strengthen the evidence of an association. It becomes
increasingly less likely that confounding factors exist that operate all over the world and still
remained undetected [12]. On the artificial turf soccer field, as a player dives onto the turf field,
the instantaneous electrical current should also induce a strong magnetic field change, which will
repeat itself as the voltage is then discharged through electrical currents into lower potential
areas such as the goal post, soccer ball, others players as well as the grounded Earth when
players walk off the artificial field.
Conclusions
It is obvious that static electricity buildup on soccer players is a well-known problem on artificial
turf fields. It is also easy to see how repeated dives into the turf by players such as goalies will
increase their electric charge due to an exchange of electrons between the grass and rubber fill
material and the players. It is also obvious to see how repeated charging and discharging of
electrical energy can easily exceed IEC 60065 which states that consumer products cannot
discharge more than 350 mJ into a person. It is the authors opinion that electric field tests
should be carried out on artificial turf fields to verify levels of electric field strength under
different ambient conditions. These artificial turf fields may have created a very unhealthy
environment between the strong electric fields and any residual chemical exposure from the
artificial surfaces.
Bibliography
1. http://www.ehhi.org/turf/cancer_patterns_1114.shtml
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf
3. http://trumark.blogspot.com/2011/08/synthetic-turf-trends-minimizing-static.html
4. http://www.vivaturf.com/newsinfo-37.html
5. http://www.asgi.us/51.htm
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_electricity
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboelectric_effect
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge
9. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_induction
10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1940086/
11. http://www.iarc.fr/
12. http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wpcontent/uploads/pdfs/sec12_2012_Evidence_%20Childhood_Cancers.pdf

About The Author

The author is a career chemical engineer (29 years) and is employed by a top 10 International
Engineering, Environmental and Construction Company and is based in Atlanta, GA. He enjoys
tennis, coaching kids sports and the outdoors.
I have performed this research on my own time and cost over the past 3 years. My research is
not affiliated or influenced by any company or government agency or research institution.

Additional Tables of Data (Items in Red exceed IEC 60065)

Human
Body
Capacitance
(Farads)
C

Static
Potential
(Volts) from
Turf ea. dive
V

Energy
(Joules)
Transferred
from Turf

100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400

10000
10000
10000
10000
20000
20000
20000
20000
30000
30000
30000
30000
40000
40000
40000
40000
50000
50000
50000
50000
10000
10000
10000
20000
20000
20000
20000
30000
30000
30000
30000
40000
40000
40000
40000
50000
50000
50000
50000

0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.045
0.09
0.135
0.18
0.08
0.16
0.24
0.32
0.125
0.25
0.375
0.5
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.045
0.09
0.135
0.18
0.08
0.16
0.24
0.32
0.125
0.25
0.375
0.5

Energy
(mJ)
E

No. of Charge/Discharge
Cycles (Dives into Turf by
Goalie - Assume Electrical
Discharge into goal
post/other players/ball)

Cumulative
Energy
(mJ)
discharged
into goalie

5
10
15
20
20
40
60
80
45
90
135
180
80
160
240
320
125
250
375
500
10
15
20
20
40
60
80
45
90
135
180
80
160
240
320
125
250
375
500

4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8

20
40
60
80
80
160
240
320
180
360
540
720
320
640
960
1280
500
1000
1500
2000
80
120
160
160
320
480
640
360
720
1080
1440
640
1280
1920
2560
1000
2000
3000
4000

Human
Body
Capacitance
(Farads)
C

Static
Potential
(Volts) from
Turf ea. dive
V

Energy
(Joules)
Transferred
from Turf

100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400
100
200
300
400

10000
10000
10000
10000
20000
20000
20000
20000
30000
30000
30000
30000
40000
40000
40000
40000
50000
50000
50000
50000
1000
1000
1000
1000
2000
2000
2000
2000
3000
3000
3000
3000
4000
4000
4000
4000
5000
5000
5000
5000

0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.045
0.09
0.135
0.18
0.08
0.16
0.24
0.32
0.125
0.25
0.375
0.5
0.00005
0.0001
0.00015
0.0002
0.0002
0.0004
0.0006
0.0008
0.00045
0.0009
0.00135
0.0018
0.0008
0.0016
0.0024
0.0032
0.00125
0.0025
0.00375
0.005

Energy
(mJ)
E

No. of Charge/Discharge
Cycles (Dives into Turf by
Goalie - Assume Electrical
Discharge into goal
post/other players/ball)

Cumulative
Energy
(mJ)
discharged
into goalie

5
10
15
20
20
40
60
80
45
90
135
180
80
160
240
320
125
250
375
500
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0.45
0.9
1.35
1.8
0.8
1.6
2.4
3.2
1.25
2.5
3.75
5

16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200
200

80
160
240
320
320
640
960
1280
720
1440
2160
2880
1280
2560
3840
5120
2000
4000
6000
8000
10
20
30
40
40
80
120
160
90
180
270
360
160
320
480
640
250
500
750
1000

Rev 0 2/21/16
Copyright 2016 Stewart D. Simonson. All Rights Reserved.