Artificial grass has been manufactured since the early 1960s and was originally produced by the Chemstrand Company (later renamed Monsanto Textiles Company). The studies concluded that inhalation exposures resulting from playing on synthetic turf fields were negligible and no different from inhalation exposures on natural grass fields. The manufacturing process of American turf meets a much higher standard than that of non-US synthetic turf. Once you start to notice them, the small lawn company that installed your lawn is probably out of business.
After the successful Astrodome installation, the artificial grass market expanded with the entry of other manufacturers, including the company 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) with its version known as Tartan Turf. Williams S, Hume PA, Kara S; A review of soccer injuries on third and fourth generation artificial grass compared to natural grass. The Aureus in Kentucky bluegrass, which is often used on natural grass athletic fields in the northern United States, was found to be comparable to the survival rate in synthetic grass. There is some concern that infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), may be more common among users of synthetic grass fields than among users of natural grass fields.
A study conducted by Pennsylvania State University on experimental plots of synthetic turf examined the effect of synthetic grass irrigation on surface temperature. The resulting combination combines the feel, look and comfort of biological grass with the resilience and tear and gap resistance of artificial grass. ASTM also has tests that measure the shock absorption of the turf system, and there are also tests to see how well the turf holds up over the course of a game or even during an extended tournament. To check how resistant turf is to abrasion, ASTM recommends testing the fabric by running it under an abrasive head made of spring steel, while another ASTM test measures how abrasive the turf will be for players.
A turf specialist from the University of Missouri reported measuring an air temperature of 138°F at head height in the university's synthetic grass field on a sunny day of 98°F. Artificial grass was also introduced in the applications for which it was originally conceived, and grass was installed artificial in many playgrounds in the city center. In June 2002, Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah reported that the average surface temperature in a synthetic turf field was 117°F, while the average surface temperatures on natural grass and asphalt were 78°F and 110°F, respectively. Artificial turf for field hockey differs from artificial grass for other sports in that it doesn't try to reproduce the feel of grass, since it's made of shorter fibers.
