Second Largest School District in U.S. Uses FlexSand Action Infill to Guard Against Lead Exposure

PR Log (Press Release) – Dec 11, 2008 – LOS ANGELES – The nation’s second largest school district has used a new type of synthetic turf infill, FlexSand® Action, on a multi-purpose field at a Hollywood, Calif. high school in response to concerns about lead and other heavy metals found in some traditional infill materials.  
The Los Angeles Unified School District specified that FlexSand Action infill and DOMO Varioslide Supreme™ artificial turf be installed on a 90,000-square-foot athletic field to be used by students of the new Helen Bernstein High School and residents of the surrounding community due to concerns about lead, said Stephen Sharr, director of new construction for the Central Region of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Sharr said the district specified the DOMO artificial turf and FlexSand infill because they were assured that both products do not contain detectable levels of lead and other potentially hazardous metals.  He said Bernstein High School is the first facility to use FlexSand Action infill as a cushioning material on an athletic field in the district, which is now implementing a construction program in excess of $27 billion to modernize schools that serve about 750,000 students.
Tom Ricci, president of Park West Sports Systems Inc. in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., said customers are becoming interested in alternative infill materials for better performance characteristics and environmental reasons, principally lead.  Ricci said the school district chose the FlexSand Action product to protect its players and the local community.  Park West Sports, a certified installer for DOMO synthetic turf in California, Nevada and Arizona, spread FlexSand Action in early October after the synthetic turf was installed.
Mineral Visions, Inc., a Chardon, Ohio company that provides specialty coated quartz products for a range of industries, developed FlexSand Action for improved technical performance and enhanced health safety over traditional infill materials, General Manager Maureen Lynn said.  “Our intention was to provide an integrated solution combining the ballast of quartz with the shock absorption performance of an engineered elastomer while considering the environmental impact,” Lynn said.  “This system is not a repurposed material. It was specifically developed for synthetic turf applications.”
“In our product development, we targeted shock absorption inconsistency, material separation issues, electrostatic problems, field heat build-up, future infill disposal and health concerns,” Lynn said. “ As a result of our efforts we have engineered a truly superior system using an FDA approved elastomer as part of the system.  For example, a field that uses FlexSand Action will be about 20° F cooler during the day than a similar-sized field using a traditional infill.”
For more information about the FlexSand product, please refer to the product’s website at www.flexsand.com or contact Tim McMillin, director of marketing and product development at 815-209-9700.   For media inquiries regarding this release or photos to illustrate the story, please contact Matthew Gryczan at mgryczan@alexandermarketing.com or call 616-957-2000.