Environmentalists have accused a Shoreditch primary school of “greenwashing” after it installed artificial turf containing cancer-causing chemicals in one of its playgrounds.
Wildlife and bee conservation groups have criticised the latest renovations to Shoreditch Park Primary School, which involve resurfacing a playground area with plastic grass and plants.
“I really hope that Shoreditch Park Primary School are not laying down more horrid fake plastic grass and plastic plant screening,” a member of the bee conservation group Api:Cultural wrote on Twitter.
The building work is part of the school’s playground upgrade project, which will see the addition of an outdoor classroom, climbing frame, and multi-use games area.
All artificial turf is made with toxic PFAS compounds, otherwise known as “forever chemicals”, and some is still produced with ground-up tyres that contain a range of carcinogens that are known to present health risks.
“Schools normalising an unnatural environment is bad for diverse reasons, but whoever made this decision may soon be asked to reverse it,” Wildlife Gardeners of Haggerston tweeted after Hackney Council planning enforcement team launched an investigation into the playground developments.
In response to the tweet, Deputy Mayor for families, parks and leisure Caroline Woodley wrote: “Really not what I’d expect as the school has completed the Eco-Schools programme.”
Another spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “The council has received a complaint about the new playground development at Shoreditch Park Primary School. A planning enforcement investigation is underway. If a breach is discovered, we will work closely with the school to ensure this is put right.”
According to the council website, the Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, aims to “inspire and empower pupils to take charge of their future through environmental projects and leadership activities” and “raise awareness about local and global environmental issues.”
Ecologist Mark Patterson said: “No amount of putting up nest boxes, bee hotels, or planting a few flowers is going to mitigate the environmental damage of laying down plastic turf. Nothing lives on plastic grass, and, unlike real grass, it does not absorb CO2 or release oxygen.”
“Plastic grass gets almost twice as hot as real grass in a heatwave… if children fall over on plastic grass in summer, they can expect severe friction burns and antibacterial infections”, he continued.
The row comes as a report published last week found a potential link between toxic chemicals in artificial turf and brain cancer in US baseball players. In some US cities, including Boston, the use of artificial turf in parks has been banned or limited because it contains harmful chemicals.
The Royal Horticultural Society has also campaigned against the use of plastic grass and plants, warning against the negative effects for environment and biodiversity.
Plastic grass damages the soil underneath and kills organisms by shedding poisonous micro plastic particles, which also run off into drains and pollute rivers and oceans, according to Patterson.
It can also contribute to flooding through reduced storm water absorption and climate change through local heat island effects in summer.
“The school boasted about receiving an Eco-Schools award in 2021. The core principle of the award programme is environmental protection and the covering of the green space in plastic grass makes a mockery of the award scheme”, Patterson said.
In 2020, parents at Shoreditch Park Primary School successfully campaigned to stop the council from building 93 flats on the playground, citing concerns about the loss of green space and the impact on child mental health, with the petition receiving 950 signatures.
A separate petition calling for the ban of plastic turf in residential properties was also discussed in parliament last year, while the Advertising Standards Authority, the UK’s advertising watchdog, ruled that advertising plastic grass as eco-friendly was misleading.
In response to a request for comment, Shoreditch Park Primary School said: “Our ambition has always been to retain all our green spaces, however in this instance we have been unsuccessful due to the poor soil quality”.
According to the school, the installation of the artificial grass ensures children can use the play area in the rain or winter months and they “will continue to work with the council on the playground works, including cooperating with the planning and building team.”
