player was injured on a first-half play. As trainers tended to the player, fans and East Islip coach Sal J. Ciampi ordered the band to stop. According to Piccininni, the letter said that the directors reprimanded the culprits and said the students were embarrassed for their actions.
"Our band has always done an outstanding job and unfortunately the situation leaves a black mark," East Islip AD Pete Blieberg told the newspaper.
Artificial grass dangerous? The artificial turf at any number of high school, college and professional facilities may contain harmful materials, according to one study reported by The Leader in Corning.
Judy Braiman, president of Rochesterians Against the Misuse of Pesticides (RAMP), said the artificial turf and crumb rubber used as fill contains components known to cause birth defects and cancer, damage to the nervous system and immune system suppression issues.
Braiman said Dr. Kathleen Burns, a toxicologist with the Massachusetts-based Sci-encecorps, tested the rubber-based artificial surfaces from five different companies that she did not identify. According to the study, cobalt, lead, manganese and zinc were present in all five samples tested. Other materials, such as acetone, carbon disulfide, chloroform, phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were present in at least one of the samples.
Braiman said Assemblyman David Koon, D-Perinton, is co-sponsoring legislation to stop new artificial turf installations until the New York's departments of Health and Environmental Conservation performed studies. State Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira, told the paper he's heard only anecdotal evidence on potential hazards.
