New York, NY - April 23, 2009 – The studies continue to roll in and the results remain the same. Synthetic turf poses no adverse health effect. TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRR), an engineering, consulting, and construction management firm that provides integrated services to the environmental markets, was contracted by the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to conduct an air quality survey to investigate the potential release of contaminants from crumb rubber synthetic turf fields and the potential exposures in the breathing zones of young children to those airborne contaminants. The testing was done under severe conditions to ensure conclusive and irrefutable results. The air quality survey (AQS) consisted of air sampling for a suite of SVOCs (PAHs and benzothiazole), VOCs, metals and particulate matter at two outdoor crumb rubber athletic fields in New York City. The results of the survey revealed: There was no consistent pattern to indicate that detected VOCs were associated with synthetic turf None of the 17 PAHs tested were detected in any of the ambient air samplesBenzothiazole was not detected in any of the air samples, including background samplesOf 10 metals tested, two were detected in the ambient air samples. Only one of these metals, however, was detected in the ambient air samples collected from the synthetic turf fields. Similar concentrations were found in both the grass field and upwind samples.The NYC DOHMH Air Quality Survey Report assessing air levels of various contaminants over synthetic turf fields can be viewed at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/eode/turf_aqs_report0409.pdfSubstantial focus has been given to possible environmental effects associated with the installation of synthetic turf athletic fields, and some parties have suggested that insufficient data has been collected to reach a conclusion regarding possible detrimental health effects. The DOHMH study addresses this question as follows: The following is an excerpt from the conclusion of the study pertaining to air quality: “The purpose of this AQS was to investigate the potential release of contaminants from crumb rubber synthetic turf fields and the subsequent potential exposures in the breathing zones of young children to those airborne contaminants. Very few constituents were detected in the air samples taken above the fields…There was no consistent pattern to indicate that the constituents were associated with the synthetic turf… In summary, an analysis of the air in the breathing zones of children above synthetic turf fields do not show appreciable impacts from COPCs contained in the crumb rubber. Therefore, a risk assessment was not warranted from the inhalation route of exposure.” This is not the first time the DOHMH has contracted TRC to study the health effects of synthetic turf fields. In 2008, TRC released a report titled “A Review of the Potential Health and Safety Risks from Synthetic Turf Fields Containing Crumb Rubber Infill”. An increased risk for human health effects as a result of ingestion, dermal or inhalation exposure to crumb rubber contaminants of potential concern was not identified by the review.