Measuring 7 inches from end to end and 3½-inches tall, it is a little on the small size. Combined with the heavy weight, it’s difficult to throw a perfect spiral. Even so, I was able to toss it a good distance before landing, giving our dogs a good chase. Made from durable materials like rubber or featuring re-enforced stitching, these balls are puncture-resistant. Even if your dog’s teeth pierce the surface of the football, it won’t deflate. For each prioritised substance, the combined risk over all routes of exposure was estimated. First, the risk per route was assessed (by comparing, per route, the exposure estimates calculated for the various scenarios to the toxicological reference values), and subsequently these risks were summed. For threshold substances this resulted in a total RCR, for the non-threshold PAHs in an estimation of the additional risk for cancer.

The exposure calculations yield an estimate of the chemical substance on or in the body that has not yet been absorbed into the bloodstream. The exposure estimates therefore relate to external, not internal, exposure. There was, however, no need to convert the external exposures into internal ones (by adjusting for absorption), as the toxicological reference values for all prioritised substances were external values as well, except for bisphenol A (BPA). For BPA, the external dermal exposure was converted into an internal exposure because the toxicological reference value for the dermal route applies to the absorbed dose.We reviewed plenty of larger footballs that were closer in size to a regulation one. They were both easier and more enjoyable to throw. Especially when compared to smaller-sized footballs that felt like we were tossing a tennis ball. ECHA. Establishing a reference dose-response relationship for carcinogenicity of five cobalt salts. 2016. https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13563/rac_agreement_cobalt_salt_en.pdf/43762b12-5e8f-457a-9858-f5a4737c2e00. Look at your hands. Soft and smooth, right? Now, look at your dog’s mouth. See that cavern that is filled with teeth as sharp as daggers? These teeth are designed for ripping and tearing – they can do some serious damage!

The ambitions formulated for circular economy in various European countries, including the Netherlands, have resulted in a huge increase in investments to recycle old products into raw material for new products. This also applies to car tyres, which have been banned from landfill since 2003 by the European Landfill Directive [ 1], as a consequence of which recycling was stimulated. The concerns that over the years have arisen about the safety of rubber granulate show that tension may exist between the ambition to increase the reuse of materials on the one hand, and the reintroduction of potentially hazardous substances in new products on the other hand. The research presented here was commissioned following a sudden increase in public concern after it was suggested in a Dutch TV programme that young goalkeepers and football players have an increased risk of getting cancer when playing on synthetic turf football pitches with rubber granulate as infill, due to the presence of carcinogenic substances in the rubber granulate. The main question to answer was therefore whether it is safe to play sports on STP with rubber infill currently in place in the Netherlands. The research was further intended to aid policy makers in deciding on any immediate or future actions. Limit setting for (substances in) rubber granulate was not an objective of the research. All up, we had about 20 minutes of play before the glow began to fade. I would add that the material used in the glow football showed significantly more wear during testing, especially around the seams, than the orange and blue one. For that reason, I only recommend it if the glow is a feature you desperately need in a football.There is a lot to love about Planet Dog’s Orbee Tuff Football. They are incredibly durable and made right here in the U.S. It’s the most expensive dog football we tested and has holes in each end, something that is not clear in images when purchasing online. It’s better suited as a chew toy than a fetch toy. Dye C, Bjerke A, Schmidbauer N, Manø S. Measurement of air pollution in indoor artificial turf halls. Report number NILU OR 03/2006. Kjeller, Norway: Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU); 2006. Our research showed the presence of a number of CMR substances in the rubber granulate on Dutch pitches, i.e., several PAHs, phthalates and benzothiazoles, BPA and metals like cadmium, cobalt and lead. From a regulatory perspective, it can be concluded that for all tested pitches the rubber granulate complies with the concentration limits set for mixtures of substances in Europe. From a risk assessment perspective, it can be concluded that exposure to these CMR substances presents no appreciable health risk, given the concentrations in which they occurred in or migrated from the rubber granulate currently in place on a representative number of STP in the Netherlands. PAHs appeared to be the substances of the highest concern, but even for this group of substances, the concentrations in which they are present do not result in additional cancer risks above the negligible risk level of one in a million. This is supported by the recent investigation by ECHA, in which it was concluded that the concern for lifetime cancer risk is very low given the concentrations of PAHs typically measured in European STP with rubber infill. As explained, we applied toxicological reference values as derived/used by international scientific committees or organisations in their risk assessment of these substances. The basis for the toxicological reference values might not have included the latest information or insights on the substances. For instance, four phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP) were recently identified as endocrine disruptors to human health [ 42]. This could mean that their toxicological reference values, which are now based on reprotox, may not be sufficiently protective for all effects induced by endocrine disruption. It is noted though that the present risk assessment resulted in RCRs very much lower than one, even for combined phthalate exposure. The large safety margin leaves some room for a lower toxicological reference value.

EuropeanCommission. Request to the European Chemicals Agency to assess whether the presence of certain substances in recycled rubber granules used as infill in synthetic turf could pose a risk to human health. 2016. Ref. Ares(2016)2535167 - 01-06-2016. https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13641/echa_rest_proposals_rubber_granules_en.pdf. Watterson A. Artificial turf: contested terrains for precautionary public health with particular reference to Europe? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28895924. All up, we tested over 28 different dog footballs, playing hundreds of rounds of fetch, throwing perfect spiral passes until our arms refused to go on. Then, the next day, we did it all over again. If you want to play a game of fetch with a football, then there are no ifs or buts about it. You need a dog-proof football – It’s the perfect dog toy for any football obsessed pup.

Whatever your skill level, wherever you play, here's all the advice you need to find the best football for your needs

NL. Besluit van 22 november 2007, houdende regels inzake de kwaliteit van de bodem (Besluit bodemkwaliteit) [Soil Quality Decree. Decree of 22 November 2007 setting out general rules for soil quality]. Staatsblad van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden 469, 2007:1. http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0022929. But the trade-off is worth it. After many extended play sessions, the rubber held strong. Besides a few light teeth marks, I expect this ball to last a long time – even with powerful-jawed dogs. Oh, and it still squeaks as loudly as ever. Our dogs found it difficult to wrap their jaws around the larger-sized balls – especially small to medium-sized dogs.