The manufacturers of artificial pitches have insisted that fields using crumb rubber turf are safe to use, despite fears they cause cancer.

The Safe Fields Alliance, which is made up of several leading recycled rubber companies and manufacturers FieldTurf, Sprinturf and AstroTurf, has commissioned scientific research to prove its products are safe.

NBC News ran their latest story last week on the safety of the pitches, which some believe cause cancer. The surfaces are used in Bermuda by the Bermuda Football Association and Bermuda Athletic Association, whose president John Doran has been assured by the manufacturers that the surface is safe to play on.

BAA had the pitch installed at Goose Gosling Field six years ago.

“It is the exact same product that is up at the BFA field, obviously cleared by Fifa,” Doran said. “That’s why we went with that product, it’s one of the products that Fifa guarantees. I have no doubt it is safe.”

Dozens of lab tests have been carried, and the SFA issued a statement in response to NBC’s report calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to take stand.

“First and foremost, our sympathy goes out to the cancer patients and their families featured in the NBC report,” SFA wrote.

“Nothing is more important than the safety and health of children. That is why when making decisions related to children’s safety and health we have to look at the facts and the science, which in this case are extremely clear: synthetic turf fields using crumb rubber are safe.

“We join the chorus of voices calling on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to take a stand.

“In our view, scientific studies analysed by independent third-parties that hold up under peer-review from qualified toxicologists are the best antidote for uncertainty.”

The SFA went on to claim that NBC had taken certain information out of context, and said that playing on artificial turf was no more harmful than some of the food and drink that people consumed.

“Industry voluntarily ensures the levels of any chemicals in synthetic turf fields are lower than the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s lead and chemical standards for children’s toys and the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe standards for urban and rural soils,” the SFA said.

“More research can always be done, and we are willing to support any additional scientific studies in any way we can.

“However, it should be pointed out that over a decade of research has not produced a single published, peer-reviewed study that shows that crumb rubber is unsafe.”

One independent study, run by Lower Canada College in Montréal, has also shown that the crumb rubber infill is safe to use.

The analysis measured potential toxicity levels of the crumb rubber against the European Union’s EN 71-3 standards, which set strict limits for various elements in children’s toys. These standards, set in 2013 as part of Europe’s Toy Safety Directive, are widely recognised as the most advanced in the world.

“We are happy with the results because, together with the chemical science and research that is readily available, they confirm for us, our Board, and the parents of our students that our turf field is safe for children of all ages for play and competition,” Christopher Shannon, Headmaster of Lower Canada College, said.

“We offer this information to the entire Montréal community, and to the Synthetic Turf Council, to not only offer context and clarity to this issue, but to take on an advocacy role that relies on science, technology, research, testing and factual data.”