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Map: Where Are L.A.'s Crumb Rubber Fields?

By Chase Scheinbaum
January 20, 2015
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This story has been published in tandem with a segmentfor KCET's award-winning TV show "SoCal Connected." Watch it here now.

Crumb rubber -- shredded car and truck tires -- has cropped up on artificial turf athletic fields around Southern California. Like tires themselves, the bread crumb sized pellets often contain a long list of carcinogens and other harmful substances.

Toxicologists don't know whether or how much exposure could lead to harm, but many scientists, parents, and public servants are worried. Though the Los Angeles Unified School District and city of Los Angeles have vowed not to install new crumb rubber fields because of the risk, the fields still dot the region. Unless they are removed before the end of their 10-year lifespan, the fields could be around for years.

Using information obtained in part through a public records act request, KCET has mapped all the crumb rubber fields at LAUSD schools, as well as parks maintained by the city and county of Los Angeles*.

*Contribute to this Map: While this map shows the location of many crumb rubber fields, it does not show locations that may have been installed by small cities and school districts within L.A. County. Additionally, because data collected from agencies is not always precise, some information presented on this map may be slightly off (such as a field location in a large park). With the help of the community at large, this map can expand to include more. Please participate by leaving comments below or contacting the author directly.

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