Air Quality at Fields Located Near High Traffic Areas

One of the major factors in our decision to change clubs this season was that our old practice field was located right off highway 75 near a major shopping center. Our practices were always during rush hour traffic (as most are) and I was concerned about the air quality. Our son never showed any symptoms, but we were concerned about the long-term impact. We looked at several clubs and found that most facilities are located near major roadways. There is a lot of solid science that supports our decision (google "air quality near high-traffic areas"). Has anyone else had this concern? We switched to AYSES because their fields are miles away from high traffic areas and we like the coach and development-first (really) mentality. I must say that we probably would have stayed with our old club if not for the field location

Make sure you stay away from power lines as well.

Surely this is a joke?

You live in Dallas, TX. If it's that concerning to you, maybe try Alaska.

I see I should have stipulated: "mature, well thought-out responses only."

Have you smelled the pond Ayses uses to irrigate with?

No, I can't say that I have smelled the pond from the practice fields. If there is an odor near the pond, it's not unusual and not harmful; most natural, small bodies of water will have some buildup of gasses between the spring and the fall.

Have you heard that headers are now banned in soccer for players 10 and under? Now we need to be uber concerned about air quality around high traffic areas near practice facilities?

Things that make you go hmmm.

A lot of those studies are based on risk assumptions that cover longer term exposure then the average player will experience during a routine couple or more practices a week.  Typically the minimum risk assumption is 8 hours a day 5 days a week every week during a year.  Unless your kid is living on the fields, the assumed risk would be way less.  Really look hard at the statistics for this studies and see what the populations look like and how they are determined.  

How long is your new drive to the practice fields?  Is it in traffic or on a high traffic route?  You run your AC during that time and suck in the outside air?  Most car air filters can't filter out the <0.5 micron particulates that are easiely absorbed through the lungs directly into the blood stream that carry the risk of long term health affects.

Yoru son eat grilled meat?  Big exposure pathway there to benzo a pyrene, a known carcinogen that has the added benefit of making other carcinogens more potent.

How old is your home, newer homes are more airtight and feature a lot more synthetic materials that off gas and harm indoor air quality.  Older homes tend to be leakier and don't concentrate as much.

Ever have your house sprayed for bugs?  How about the lawn?  Use fertilizers on your lawn? What type of cleaners you keep in the house?  Have the rugs cleaned often.

Also studies have shown that in places like Texas City (a major chemical/oil producing area) that the indoor air quality from chemicals released in the home is actually worse then the outdoor air qulaity, then you tack on the fact that home concentrates the air issues from outside over time trough dust build-up.

Do you dry-clean cloths?

Does he have a cell-phone?

As someone else said do you live near power lines?

Drink water from the city supply?  EPA is identifying tons of new chemicals every year that have long term residual times in the water supplies and aren't screened out of the water or even tested for by most municple suppliers.

Do you use anything made with plastics or drink bottled water?

How about teflon, the EPA has determined that PFCs that are part of the process to make them linger on in the items produced and can cause contamination.  They are still figuring out what the impacts from these are.  And as a special door prize they can become concentrated in grass that is fed to or grazed on by livestock and enter the foodchain that way.

Asbsestos in the schools?  Does he or has he played on play grounds with wood chips or rubber chips?  

In general pratcially everything you do all day carries some associated risk that will cause a negative health effect.  Each one though is so minor though that unless you are dosing up on it by say living next to the source, working with it on a daily basis, or just be foolish and hanging around it for S&Gs just removing one source doesn't create a statistically significant benefit to the prevention of developing a long term health affect.  Worrying about one small thing isn't going to really make a differnce in the grand scheme of risk.

I'm still laughing from Panzerburg's post.  Well done!

Seriously Screenwriter....I think a bigger concern should be safety for the players...so in that regard did you feel "safe" at practice field off 75 (assume FC Premier?).  For me personally, I would be concerned about a run away truck or maybe an occasional drive by shooting.

As for Ayses...if what Allen04 says is true...then I suspect there would be the risk of mosquitos from the nearby pond infecting you or your player with West Nile, or Zika, so not sure you made the right choice.

If you can find a small club with a private training facility next to a big water tower, then in my experience that's a good thing because the field is mostly shaded on those 100 plus degree days which might save your BB from heat exhaustion.  But this of course means the coaches tend to push a little harder than most which might not be for everyone.  And the bumpiness of the field of course means your BB will need to control the ball a bit better among other things.

Nothing is perfect...but I do like the idea of a survey on the subject.  This forum is a great way to share knowledge.

Just want to throw out there that Ayses is right next to the airport. Isn't the pollution in the exhaust from a plane much higher than cars?

But as many have said, there are many issues that affect our health. We live in a city and this time of year, the pollution is absolutely horrible everywhere around us. You have to go pretty far out to get away from the air pollution.

Last time I remember going to Ayses complex I remember it being in the middle of a corn field. Then all of a sudden a whirl wind of corn debris littered the entire complex. I do wonder though how much pesticides are in the dirt there?

About 1100 cars travel 75 for every plane that takes off from McKinney Airport in a day (250,000 to 229) The airport is also 3 miles away. Rarely see any flight traffic and not close enough to affect air quality at the fields.

Can't say that I've experienced any "corn debris." Only the northern border of the complex is lined with a corn field. Don't see how that could impact the soil on the fields.

screenwriter74 wrote:About 1100 cars travel 75 for every plane that takes off from McKinney Airport in a day (250,000 to 229)  The airport is also 3 miles away.  Rarely see any flight traffic and not close enough to affect air quality at the fields.  

Since the plane traffic doesn't fly directly over head, the pollution isn't a factor.   Also, the planes just stop at the end of the runway and don't fly anywhere near the fields....ever. By that same thinking, 75 is higher than the fields at FC Premier so the pollution is actually above their heads therefore, isn't a factor!

You've decided that you have solved the pollution factor and if you're happy with that decision, then there is nothing to discuss.  Just want to say that Ayses has always pushed their philosophy but never followed it.  You will learn that soon enough.  If Ayses truly believed what they preached, their club would be bigger and not smaller than it was a few years ago.

1-2 small planes flying hundreds of feet overhead = 1000's of cars driving 50-75 feet away    

screenwriter74 wrote:1-2 small planes flying hundreds of feet overhead = 1000's of cars driving 50-75 feet away    

Chem Trails LOL!!!!

Yes, we moved to Ayses because they have superior air quality than FC Premier. Thanks for the heads up.

Crap! I guess he can't play in any games. 1000's of cars drive by the fields! What about those parents that just sit in the car with the engine running near the fields. OMG!

And what about SNAKES!  Not from the planes, but crawling all over the ground.  That would concern me.

mmmm, a choice between pollution and an occasional stray bullet, or ZIKA virus and SNAKES.  Tough choice.

Does anyone else have anything else to share about their club's or ex clubs training facility? (Lets just keep quality of the actual training out of the discussion as it seems to of lessor importance).

Remember the Adromeda fields in Plano? That place reaked of sewer and methane gas. I hated going over there for games. I could only imagine what the teams had to put up with training 3 days per week!

Talk about folks with lowered standards for air quality! LOL!

Tell you what; the dust out at Moneygram today was brutal.  By the evening there was a haze over the lower fields.

I agree 100% with moneygram dust bowl!!!!! Now the North wind will bring in the great smell of composite....

Oops I mean Compost!!!!