The issue of whether the Great Neck Park District should install artificial turf at Memorial Field is still on the table.

Last Tuesday, park district commissioners said at a work session they had found no government reports that have studied whether artificial turf is harmful, and all the independent reports they have studied have concluded that the hazardous materials in the turf were below the safety standard.

But at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting Thursday the commissioners said they may be rethinking the turf.

Board Chairman Bob Lincoln said the day after the work session Newsday had a story about Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills) calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to study the issue of artificial turf.

“Government agencies haven’t come out with anything very definitive and we welcome a decision,” Lincoln said. “We want to see whether anything substantive comes out and what a timeline would be for any study.”

Lincoln said the board plans to contact Israel in writing and make him aware that the district was debating the use of artificial turf at Memorial Field.

“We need to make some sort of decision,” Lincoln said. “We will look toward [Israel] to get this study done and get the information distributed.”

The purchase of artificial turf at Memorial Field, located at 1 West Park Place, was part of a $6.5 million bond approved by the Town of North Hempstead in March.

Residents at the time questioned the use of artificial turf rather than grass.

Further concerns were raised in October when NBC reported that 38 soccer players who had played on artificial turf were diagnosed with rare forms of cancer, including lymphoma and leukemia.

The commissioners said in October they would re-examine what surface to use at Memorial Field.

Lincoln also said the board wants to reach out to the parents of the children who participate in programs at the field to get their feelings on the project. Lincoln said he doesn’t want people to think the district is putting off finishing the project.

“As the rumor mill works, some probably think we are stonewalling [the project] and that we’re not going to do anything, which is not true,” he said.

At the work session Tuesday, the commissioners received a compilation of months of research into whether the synthetic material is harmful from Deputy Superintendent Lisa Goldberg. Lincoln said most of the reports about artificial turf being harmful have been anecdotal.

Goldberg said she contacted each agency that did a study to confirm their results.

Most, she said, concluded that the hazardous materials in the turf were below existing safety standard, deeming the turf safe.