The company AstroTurf has agreed to strictly limit the amount of lead in it's artificial turf in a settlement with the California Attorney General.
Makers of artificial turf often use lead to maintain the grassy color of their fields and lawns. Tests have found that some AstroTurf products contain lead at more than 5,000 parts per million. Environmentalists say the toxic lead can come off older AstroTurf fields in the form of dust, which can then be ingested by kids. The company now says it will reduce the lead content of its products sold in California to 50 parts per million. California Attorney General Jerry Brown says he thinks this settlement will set a new lead standard for artificial turf.
"AstroTurf has agreed to virtually eliminate lead from artificial grass," says Brown. "And I would assume the competitors will follow in the same direction."
The attorney general's office has lawsuits ongoing against two other turf companies, Field Turf and the Beaulieu Group.
