Liberty Tire Recycling Applauds Today's U.S. EPA Study that Further Validates the Safety of Crumb Rubber Infill

- Industry Leader Believes the Most Recent Data Should Dispel Ongoing Myths -

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 10 -- Pittsburgh-based Liberty Tire Recycling, the premier provider of tire recycling services in the United States, is praising the findings of a recently released U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study on crumb rubber infill used in athletic fields and playground surfaces. Published today, the EPA study found that concentrations of materials in tire crumb are below levels considered harmful.

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"The EPA is the latest agency to come to the same conclusion: Crumb rubber used in artificial turf or as a playground surface poses no significant health or environmental risk," said Jeffrey Kendall, chairman and CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling. "At Liberty Tire Recycling, we have been very concerned by recent headlines suggesting the opposite is true. Parents, business owners, public policy makers and elected officials deserve to know the facts, and they now have the facts from the authority on these matters."

The EPA conducted its field study from August through October 2008 and took samples from multiple locations in different parts of the country. A comprehensive overview of the EPA study can be found at http://www.epa.gov/nerl/features/tire_crumbs.html.

"We welcome the EPA's decision to review all new studies on this matter, studies that have been conducted since the EPA launched its review," continued Kendall. "In state after state and in study after study, researchers have confirmed that crumb rubber is safe."

  Kendall pointed to two other recently completed independent studies:
  --  A California EPA study from July 2009 found no significant health risk
      to people who breathe the air above synthetic turf that contains crumb
      rubber.  The study looked at the chemicals found in the air above the
      turf and the chemicals found in the air upwind from the fields that
      were analyzed.  The conclusion:  The chemicals were found in similar
      concentrations in both samples.

  --  A May 2009 study by the New York departments of Environmental
      Conservation and Health found that crumb rubber used in synthetic turf
      fields poses no significant environmental threat or health concerns.

"People have a right to be concerned about their health and the health and safety of their children," added Kendall. "The findings of these studies and the EPA study should ease any concerns that people might have about products that are made from recycled rubber tires. They're safe."

Kendall also highlighted the many environmental and safety benefits offered by the use of recycled rubber on athletic fields and playgrounds:

  --  Recycled rubber that is used as a playground surface promotes safety
      because it does not decompose or blow away.  It is non-toxic and does
      not harbor insects or mold.

  --  A six-inch layer of rubber safety surfacing can cushion a child's fall
      from as high as twelve feet.

  --  Each year, products made from recycled rubber prevent 25 million used
      tires from ending up in landfills across the country.

  --  Replacing a grass field with a synthetic athletic field made of rubber
      can save as much as 50,000 gallons of water per week during the peak
      growing season and also eliminates the need to use fertilizers and
      pesticides.

Liberty Tire Recycling continues to reclaim a third of the nation's scrap tire production and reuse the material as recycled rubber. The recycled rubber can then be transformed into smart, sustainable products that make people's lives better and safer.

"From safer playground surfaces and decorative rubber mulch to materials used in road paving projects, Liberty Tire Recycling is pleased to be on the cutting edge of transforming rubber tires into the raw materials that become versatile, useful products for the consumer," added Kendall.

Beyond a wide array of recycling processes, Liberty Tire Recycling also works with municipalities and governments across the nation to perform remediation services at scrap tire piles that pose environmental and health risks.

  For more information on Liberty Tire Recycling, visit www.libertytire.com.

  About Liberty Tire Recycling

Liberty Tire Recycling is the premier provider of tire recycling services in the U.S. By reclaiming almost one-third of the nation's tire waste, Liberty Tire transforms millions of discarded tires into raw materials for innovative, sustainable products. The recycled rubber produced by Liberty Tire is used as crumb rubber and industrial feedstock for molded products; as tire-derived fuel for industrial kilns, mills and power plants; and as rubber mulch for landscaping and playgrounds. The company maintains a nationwide network of processing plants, and comprehensive door-to-door collection services. Liberty Tire Recycling is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, please visit www.libertytire.com.

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