SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The Seminole County Sports Complex has stopped installing artificial turf with crumb rubber, and the Environmental Protection Agency is being asked to investigate whether it could harm children's health.
The base of most artificial turf is made from recycled tires.
In addition to calls for an investigation, there's a push to use alternative materials to eliminate any risk.
That's part of the reason why Rollins College just installed an organic alternative.
Eric Hargreaves, whose son died after 14 years of playing on the turf, wants to get to the bottom of whether the artificial turf causes cancer.
Sean Hargreaves was a star goalkeeper.
"Sean started playing when he was 4," his father said.
Sean was later diagnosed with cancer.
"It was a whirlwind that day. We didn't know what to expect, what to do, where we were going. It was a huge shock that changed our lives," said Hargreaves.
Hargreaves believes that the sport his son loved so much might have contributed to his 2006 death.
ESPN highlighted Sean as one of 200 children diagnosed with cancer after they played on fields with artificial crumb rubber.
"He would come home. It would be in his shoes, uniform, in his eyes. He would swallow it, spit it out," said Hargreaves.
Concerns about carcinogens in the recycled tires that make up crumb rubber were enough to bring installation to a halt at seven fields inside Seminole County's new premiere sports complex.
ESPN's investigation uncovered a 2008 memo from the EPA, warning of possible health hazards to children from crumb rubber.
Congress is demanding a full investigation.
"If we can push the government and find out what's going on with this, maybe somebody else won't get sick. He's not coming back. I just hope nobody else has to endure this," said Hargreaves.
There are several major fields with crumb rubber in central Florida, including Eastmonte Park in Altamonte Springs and the Citrus Bowl.
Although the cost of installation is about the same for organic turf, long-term maintenance costs a lot more.