THE FATHER OF a teenage cancer patient claims rubber pellets from 3G football pitches contributed to his son’s illness.
Nigel Maguire, a former National Health Service boss in England, says his 18-year-old son has Hodgkin lymphoma disease after playing on the artificial surfaces for a number of years.
Maguire believes his son became ill after being exposed to rubber pellets which are used to give the pitch more bounce. They are often made from used car tyres and can contain toxic chemicals.
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Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Maguire said: “Lewis would be training on this stuff once or twice a week for four or five years, and he would come back telling me how he swallowed a lot of it, how it got into his eyes, and in cuts and grazes.
“I didn’t think anything of it, one wouldn’t, would you? You’d think if something that was licensed to be put on turf it would be thoroughly researched. The reality is that it hasn’t.”
A Football Association spokesperson told the BBC that it was ‘aware of concerns’ but insist the rubber crumb pieces pose no significant health risk to users.
“The industry turns around and categorically says that it’s perfectly fine. They’ve done the research, ‘we have tested it for emissions for any gasses that come off it and there are none,’ Maguire added.
“That’s fine, however, there is no research that I can find and I’ve scanned and scanned that says actually if you ingest this, if you rub this stuff into your wounds that contain these known carcinogens, there is no effect.”
A number of professional football clubs have 3G pitches installed while League of Ireland champions Dundalk play on a similar surface at Oriel Park.
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Former health chief claims 3G football pitches may have given his son cancer
THE FATHER OF a teenage cancer patient claims rubber pellets from 3G football pitches contributed to his son’s illness.
Nigel Maguire, a former National Health Service boss in England, says his 18-year-old son has Hodgkin lymphoma disease after playing on the artificial surfaces for a number of years.
Maguire believes his son became ill after being exposed to rubber pellets which are used to give the pitch more bounce. They are often made from used car tyres and can contain toxic chemicals.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Maguire said: “Lewis would be training on this stuff once or twice a week for four or five years, and he would come back telling me how he swallowed a lot of it, how it got into his eyes, and in cuts and grazes.
A Football Association spokesperson told the BBC that it was ‘aware of concerns’ but insist the rubber crumb pieces pose no significant health risk to users.
“The industry turns around and categorically says that it’s perfectly fine. They’ve done the research, ‘we have tested it for emissions for any gasses that come off it and there are none,’ Maguire added.
“That’s fine, however, there is no research that I can find and I’ve scanned and scanned that says actually if you ingest this, if you rub this stuff into your wounds that contain these known carcinogens, there is no effect.”
A number of professional football clubs have 3G pitches installed while League of Ireland champions Dundalk play on a similar surface at Oriel Park.
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