Many past studies have suggested a correlation between pitch use and cancer development
By Jonathan Wells

Artificial turf has a lot going for it. Low maintenance and easy to adjust for different sports, it's a state-of-the-art innovation that can be found in 5-a-side centres, Premiership training grounds and even schools across the country. You can see why the FA wants to bring about a 50pc increase in the number of full size artificial pitches in England by 2020.
Could it even be that these synthetic surfaces are preferable to the natural alternative?
Well, perhaps not. Earlier this week, former NHS Cumbria boss and concerned father Nigel Maguire shared his theory that artificial surfaces had caused his 18-year old son’s cancer. But with little hard evidence to back up his claim, how much credence should sportsman in Britain give to Maguire's words?
Lewis Maguire who has cancer, with his father Nigel
CREDIT: CASCADE NEWS
Artificial '3G' pitches are created by inserting synthetic grass-like blades into a thin base layer of sand. These blades are then supported by an infill of 'rubber crumb' or 'astro-dirt' – small pieces of rubber sourced from reclaimed automotive tyres. It is these granules that Maguire warns may be rife with carcinogens.
He is not the first to suggest this link. In 2006, a Norwegian study evaluated the dangers of using styrene butadiene rubber (rubber crumb) in the composition of artificial turf. This Scandinavian study found that "the component spectrum has a clear signature from the rubber granulate and contains a considerable number of components which are associated with adverse effects on health." However, no further course of action was taken.
In a 2008 study of artificial turf by scientists in Michigan, harmful chemicals were found in virtually every sample of the surface tested, including arsenic, chromium and lead. Despite academics concluding that "more research is needed," no further studies by the scientists ever appeared.
And, in 2013, the use of recycled rubber in leisure facilities was analysed in Dutch journal Chemosphere . The researchers concluded that "uses of recycled rubber tires, especially those targeting play areas and other facilities for children, should be a matter of regulatory concern." But still, three years on, no major studies have addressed the problems.
So, Maguire’s worry that his concerns will be ignored is not unprecedented.
Emili García slides on the artificial surface in Wales, kicking up the rubber crumb CREDIT: GETTY/AFP
"I knew nothing of any dangers to the health of coaches, referees or players and had been perfectly happy for Lewis to play on these surfaces," Maguire tells Telegraph Men. “Even when Lewis became unwell and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, we still made no connection.
"I started researching and found that, in America, connections were being made between the increasing number of players developing cancers –most notably Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – and those playing on artificial turf. However, this research had not been given widespread visibility in the UK and was only just gaining momentum in the US."
Maguire believes that his son, who trains at the Leeds Football Club Academy as a goalkeeper, was more susceptible to the effects of the rubber crumb because he plays in a position that traditionally has a lot of contact with the pitch.
Lewis Maguire who has cancer of the lymphatic system
CREDIT: CASCADE NEWS
In October last year, Amy Griffin, the coach of the University of Washington women's soccer team, was visiting a female goalkeeper in hospital. A nurse told the coach that the chemotherapy ward had seen four goalkeepers in the last week alone. Griffin, concerned by this, compiled a list of the 38 soccer players she knew who had been diagnosed with cancer. 34 of them were goalkeepers.
Griffin presented her findings, questions were asked, and then the matter lost the public’s attention. Griffin, who freely admitted that her findings didn't present a reliable data set, simply wanted an explanation – and to know whether or not athletes and even schoolchildren were at risk from the carcinogenic compounds. Maguire has also called for a full and public investigation.
“After the first time Lewis received treatment, we still had no knowledge of the potential implications of the artificial turf," says Maguire. "So we let him resume activity on the surfaces. And, even though Lewis’ Consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary said that it was very, very rare for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma to relapse in children, this is now Lewis’ second illness.
"When the rubber crumbs are breathed in, ingested, or enter the body through the nose, ears, eyes or mouth, the tiny particles can get into the digestive and respiratory tracts. The particles are minute, sharp and embed very easily. We believe that this is the reason Lewis now has soft tumours in his spleen, lungs, neck and back.
"And ingestion through body ori