Waste Tires in Artificial Turf Infill Part 1 - Understanding OEHHA’s health risk assessment

In March 2026, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published a long-awaited final report on its effort to estimate health risks from exposure to tire crumb in artificial turf infill.

Tire crumb, also referred to as “crumb rubber,” is composed of small pieces of waste tires. It is used as infill in many artificial turf fields; OEHHA notes that a single artificial turf field can contain over 200,000 pounds of tire crumb. Tire crumb is known to contain a large number of chemicals, many of which are toxic to human health. Tire materials also pose environmental concerns, including toxicity to aquatic species.

OEHHA completed the study in collaboration with CalRecycle, the California state agency whose duties include managing tire waste in the state. The acknowledgments note input from multiple US federal agencies, the European Chemicals Agency, and two industry associations. Initiated in 2015, the study was designed specifically to examine tire crumb, and did not examine other components of artificial turf systems, such as the artificial grass carpet. Separately, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is examining artificial turf carpet under California’s Safer Consumer Products regulation.