BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Burrillville Town Council held a special meeting Thursday night to discuss a new artificial turf field proposed for the high school.

Some residents are concerned that the artificial turf field could contain PFAS, a chemical that’s been linked to serious health problems. They fear this could seep into their drinking water.

A petition was created with more than 1,000 signatures from those who are against the construction.

However, the state’s health and environmental departments said that while turf fields do contain a variety of chemicals, exposure during playtime is unlikely to have any negative health effects.

Town Council President Donald Fox is for the project and told 12 News that the town has been testing the materials with the hope of having the field completed next month.

“The [Environmental Protection Agency] sets standards by which they consider levels safe,” Fox said. “The testing we’ve done so far and the materials designed for our field have indicated test results that are magnitudes under the EPA levels.”

Despite the pushback, Fox hopes the field will be done by October 2024.

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