SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating potential hazards from lead in some artificial turf sports fields.

In the meantime, Sen. Abel Maldonado is calling for a study of turf fields to determine any public health and environmental problems.

Inderkum High School in Natomas is laying artificial turf in its football stadium.

The ground cover is taking root at campuses across the country because it's more cost effective than grass -- cutting water usage, field maintenance and man hours prepping for games.

"The overall financial impact for the district, is going to save us a great deal of money over the next 14-20 years," Inderkum's athletic director, Matt Hinton, said.

Football player Antonia Kanady said turf is a lot easier to play on.

The New Jersey Department of Public Health found high levels of lead in three older synthetic field.

Maldonado wants the state to study the health impacts of natural and synthetic turf.

"My biggest concerns are the health and environmental impacts to the community through having all this synthetic fields pop up everywhere," Maldonado said.

New Jersey health officials found high levels of lead only in turf made of nylon fibers.

Polyethylene fibers -- like the turf at Inderkum -- has been found to contain only low or undetectable levels of lead.

Maldonado also wants to know if bacterial infections such as MRSA can be contracted from and spread by the fields.

"When you have a normal lawn it grows, you cut it, you wash it, it rains, it cleans it, we don't have information on synthetic fields in California," Maldonado said.

Researchers said so far, there are no acute health risks from artifical turf and risks due to repeated exposure are unlikely.

New Jersey health officials said there is a very low risk for exposure. However, users should clean up and wash their clothes after playing on artificial fields.