July last year, the European Union (EU) published Regulation (EU) 2021/1199 controlling the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content of infill materials. The law becomes effective from today 9th August 2022. This means that all infills made from:
- rubber or other vulcanized or polymeric material
- of recycled or virgin origin,
- or obtained from a natural source,
must not have a total content sum (of the eight specified PAHs) of more than 20 mg/kg.
Additionally, all infill materials places on the market must be marked with a unique identification number of the batch to allow traceability to enable the compliance of the batch to the new regulation to be verified.
Enforcement of new regulation will be undertaken by national authorities in each member state.
Whilst primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with the new law will be with the companies that produce the infill, contractors installing synthetic turf surfaces or replacing infill as part of a maintenance contract can also be considered to be placing the product onto the market (i.e., they are selling it to the field owner) so they also need to ensure the products they offer and use are compliant.
As stated in the new law, infill materials that are currently in use, may remain in place and continue to be used.