Artificial Turf: Cancers Among Players
Thanks to Amy Griffin and Jean Bryant for keeping this important informational list. Two critically important things are shown by these numbers:
1. The numbers of soccer player goalies who have gotten cancer. Soccer goalies are the players most exposed to synthetic turf. Although soccer goalies make up only 10% of the team, they experience the largest number of cancers. Goalkeepers account for 68% of leukemia cases.
2. The majority of the cancers reported by Amy Griffin are blood cancers, which are the most heavily influenced by environmental exposures.
Even if people dispute the total number of cancer cases — and no one actually knows how many of the cancer cases are ever reported to Amy — it's impossible cannot discount the number of affected goalies. Goalies are the most exposed players on a soccer team, and the data show that they are the most affected.
What about the ovarian cancers in young women? Lung cancers are usually very rare in young people. Again, we thank Amy for keeping this list.
Amy Griffin's Cancer List as of May 2020268 total athletes with cancer (includes football, lacrosse, baseball, etc.)
123 females
145 males
On average, goalkeepers account for a small number of the team players, or about 10% of a soccer team. Of the 209 soccer players who got cancer, 125 (60%) are goalkeepers.
Number of Cancer Cases Among Reporting Soccer Players and Goalkeepers
107 with lymphomas (Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas combined)
82 soccer players, 39 are goalkeepers or 48%
Of the 107 lymphoma cases, 73 had Hodgkin's lymphoma
55 soccer players, 29 are goalkeepers or 53%
(4 soccer players with Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant, all male 10-14 years old)
Of the 107 lymphoma cases, 35 had Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
28 soccer players, 13 are goalkeepers or 46%
58 Leukemia
48 soccer players, 33 are goalkeepers or 68%
33 with Sarcoma (soft tissue cancer)
24 soccer players, 11 are goalkeepers or 46%
17 with Testicular
14 soccer players, 9 are goalkeepers or 64%
12 with Thyroid
11 soccer players, 9 are goalkeepers or 82%
ALL female
10 are between ages 16-26
10 with Brain
ALL soccer players, 6 are goalkeepers or 60%
4 with Ovarian
ALL soccer players, 1 is a goalkeeper or 25%
Their ages are 14, 15, 23 and 34
3 with Lung
ALL soccer players, 3 are goalkeepers or 100%
Their ages are 19, 26, and 27