lymphoma. >> i would have it everywhere and have them in the tissue. >> last year theysis with diagnosised with non-hodgkin land use and economic lymphoma. fox four college football player now battling leukemia. i feel sick to my stomach that the artificial turf can have so many chemicals. >> the biology of cancer varies between different cancers. our own genetics vary and both of those have a big impact. >> the doctor said in all of my years of medical practice this is the worst x-ray i have seen. >> hodgkin lymphoma, stage iv. >> you ingest it and it's unavoidable former reality star ethan has been keeping his own list. >> at four times a week i was on it for hours, sweating, bleeding, everything. >> she says i think it's something with the field turf. >> the [tpo-efbg/] husky goalkeeper was diagnosised with non-hodgkin lymphoma in college when doctors discover a larger deadly tumor. >> it was about the size -- a little bigger than a softball in the center of my chest. >> the pain is fresh for june, her daughter a star goalkeeper died a year and a half ago. in 2008 we told you about a terrorisming stadiu

at age 21 she was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma. today she is in remission. >> i don't want anyone else to have to go through it. >> reporter: the former goalie is on the list, names the coach continues to gather of players who develop different types of cancer. 38 altogether, 34 are goal keepers. annika, 18 years old, emma, 15. austen died at the age of 25 from non-hodgkin lymphoma. a list is no scientific proof. there's no research directly linking chrome rubber exposure to cancer. >> many are related cancers, but there are others in there too. what i would say is in general it's very difficult to study the relationship between an environmental exposure and cancer. >> reporter: no available studies replicate goalkeepers' playing conditions. but many researchers, states and localities defend the turf safety. davis lee has a ph.d. in chemistry and sits on the synthetic turf council board. >> there's certainly a preponderance of the evidence to this point that says in fact it is safe. >> reporter: an nbc news investigation put that a

two of her goal keepers diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. a terrible coincidence. >> the nurse said don't tell me you guys are goal keepers. you are a like the fourth goalkeeper i've hooked up this week. >> reporter: she remembered a conversation with her player that now haunts her. >> she said i just have a feeling that it has something to do with those black dots. >> this is the stuff everybody is talking about. >> reporter: soccer and football players alike are familiar with them. the black dots called crumb rubber fill the space between artificial blades of grass. they contain all the same chemicals found in most tires, the international agency for cancer research labels four carcinogens while adding at low levels they are safe. goal keepers more than any other player roll around on the turf every practice. >> we don't eat tires. yet we were. as goalies you'd get it in your mouth and wouldn't think about it. >> reporter: this girl started playing goalie when she was 12. some weeks practicing as many as 20 hours on crumb rubber. at age 21

. >> reporter: last year she was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma. today she is in remission.owell e-mailed us from upstate new york, one of more than two dozen viewers who reached out with stories about athletes with cancer. a mother from los angeles writes about her daughter. i will no longer let her compete on synthetic turf. a father whose son diagnosed with cancer while playing college football writes, i feel sick to my stomach that the artificial turf can have so many chemicals. we also heard from a coach at a camp for goalkeepers who told us he has not had one case. there's no research directly linking crumb rubber exposure to cancer. and some doctors say proving a link would be very difficult. >> the reason is that the biology of cancer varies a lot between different cancers. our own genetics vary and both of those have a big impact on it. >> reporter: the industry along with researchers, states and localities defend the turf. but an nbc news investigate gathered the studyings and spoke with pediatricians, scientists and advocacy groups who say more research needs to b

hodgkins lymphoma stage 4. >> we end up ingesting the >> experiencing technical difficulties; pleasend by >> next speaker. thank you, next speaker. >>> hello, supervisor. my name is [speaker not understood]. this is my first time contributing to some public forum. thank you for listening. i'm here to share my story and it represents many others who look to you to hold our concerns close to your heart as you fight the battle with public office. [speaker not understood] 11 years ago with my husband who what offered a scholarship to attend graduate school. finding work in the arts was a challenge but we made it work. and felt supported by the vibrant arts community here. i was honored to be included in bay area now at yerba buena center for the arts in 2005. i am focused [speaker not understood] market street program. i worked with patients at laguna honda hospital to make scrubs and linens featuring artwork. my husband and i are fortunate, we are not being evicted. [speaker not understood] all of us in our 30s. but here's the thing. as i approach my late 30s i can no longer ward off th

. >> hodgkin's lymphoma stage 4.it goalkeeper. >> years later, he saw a soccer coach, amy griffin on the local news. two of her goalkeepers were diagnosed with similar cancers. a terrible coincidence until taking one for chemotherapy. >> the nurse said don't me you guys are goalkeepers. she said that is crazy. you are like the fourth this week. i have a feeling it has something to do with the black dots. >> this is the stuff everybody is talking about. >> it is shredded car and truck tires used in fields to fill the space between artificial blades of grass. they contain the chemicals found in tires. they label four carcinogens atting at low levels they are considered safe. on a soccer field, goalkeepers more than any other player roll around every practice. >> you end up ingesting the rubber accidentally as a goalkeeper, it's unavoidable. >> he reached out and now he is on the list, names the coach continues to gather of soccer players with different cancer. 38 all and 34 are goalkeepers. it's not scientific proof an

. >> reporter: hodgkin's lymphoma, stage 4.van was a college student at the sometime, a young, fit, goalkeeper at the soccer team. >> the doctors never had a good answer. >> reporter: years later, sullivan saw university of washington soccer coach, amy griffin, on the local news. two of her goalkeepers had been diagnosed with similar cancers. a terrible coincidence, she thought, until taking one of her sick players for chemotherapy. >> the nurse said don't tell me you guys are goalkeepers. that is so crazy. you are like the fourth goalkeeper i have hooked up this week. >> reporter: her goalie had a theory. >> she said i just have a feeling it has something to do with those black dots. >> reporter: the black dots are actually shredded car and truck tires, used in turf fields to fill the space between artificial blades of grass. they contain all the same chemicals found in most tires. the international agency for cancer research labels four carcinogens, i'll adding that at low levels of exposure, they are considered safe. on a so

woman came to my office about a month ago, and five or six years ago her son had developed non-hodgkin's lymphoma he was aged out of her insurance, and she tried to shop around to gettin get them treat. it was enormously expensive and she told me that her son finally passed away, and she said she firmly believed that if the aca were in place at that time her son would be a life. so i hear stories like that. so we have to keep in place what works. 14,000 people in our district them in the 13th congressional district have insurance now that they didn't before the aca was passed. so to take congressman davis and his position, to rip that away from 14,000 people isn't what we should do. we should see what works, and what i would do is travel around the district and listen. have office hours. open it up. listen to what people are saying so anecdotal evidence would turn to empirical evidence and then we can fix what doesn't work. >> right now is do anything you don't think . callis: people want to stand own insurance policy, they should be up to stay on their own interest policy. i hear that a lot. i h

woman came to my office about a month ago in five or six years ago her son had developed long hodgkin's lymphoma. the treatment was enormously expensive and she told me that her son finally passed away and she said she firmly believed that if the aca were in place at that time her son would be alive. i hear stories like that so we have to keep in place but works very of 14,000 people in our district. have insurance now that they didn't before. so to take the congressman and his position to away from 4,000 people isn't what we should do. we should see what works. and what i would do is travel around the district and listen. opening it up, listening to what people are saying. then we can fix what doesn't work. .. >> m oderator: of course, we have people signing up more medicaid and subsidies, but for those that see their premiums rising, what can congress do to fix the law to make it more affordable to people? callis: well, one woman came up to me who's nebraska had insurance -- never had insurance, and she's terrified that's going to be ripped away from her if the republicans have their way and r

. >> non-hodgkin's lymphoma. you decide to build because you said i created this disease. take major ownership for cancer, first off. the transformation is astounding. i can't wait to hear how you can do this, but why did you blame really your own actions and self? >> it's not that i blamed my own actions. i think people need to realize that what you do to yourself and how you create the internal environment for yourself will really push knew a place of disease. so when i say that i've created my disease, i didn't take care of my stress. i didn't eat like i should. i wasn't exercising the way i normally would. and not taking care of all those things i normally do set up the stage for cancer in my body. to take ownership, i guess i do. >> admirable. >> as research says, only 5% of cancers are genetic. 95% are rooted in lifestyle. >> so you are what you eat. you've been eating a lot of the wrong stuff. >> well, at the time i unfortunately was. >> you're not alone. a lot of people do. >> i think when people get stressed, they go into a place that's kind of dark. >> at the tim

. >> reporter: faye played soccer since she was 4 and was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma when sheg on. >> reporter: a father writes about his son a former college football player now battling leukemia. i feel sick to my stomach the artificial turf could have so many chemicals. another wrote she played soccer twice a week and keeping her kids on the local taerjs lessons on the soccer field far outweigh the ifs of the ground they play on. in a statement the synthetic turf council said we sympathize with those individuals battling a serious illness citing numerous studies the council adds the prepon derrance of evidence shows no negative health effects. nbc news spoke with researchers, advocacy groups and doctors who say the studies that exist are limited and more research needs to be done. some of our viewers would like to help. cancer survivor from ohio who spent a lot of time on turf writes, i know that sharing my story and adding to it the research will help other athletes in the end. >> wow. still ahead asking for a raise in front of 200,000 of your colleagues. we'll explain the

. >> hodgkin's lymphoma stage 4.> the doctors never had a good answer. >> after beating the cancer, he saw the soccer coach amy griffin on the local news. two of her goalkeepers were diagnosed with similar cancers. a terrible coincidence until taking one for chemotherapy. >> the nurse said don't tell me you guys are goalkeepers. you are like the fourth i hooked up with this week. she said i have a feeling it has something to do with the black dots. >> this is the stuff. >> it is shredded car and truck tires used to fill the space between artificial blades of grass. they contain the chemicals found in most tires. the agency for cancer research labels four carcinogens and adding at low levels of exposures, they are safe. goalkeepers more than any other player roll around more than any other practice. >> we ingest it as a goal keeper and it's unavoidable. >> sullivan reached out and now he is on the list and names the coach continues to gagger of soccer player who is developed different cancer. 38 all together, 34 of th

. >> reporter: hodgkin's lymphoma stage 4 he was a young goalkeeper on the soccer team. >> the doctorsad a good answer. >> reporter: years later after beating the cancer, he saw university of washington soccer coach. two of her goalkeepers have been diagnosed with similar cancers, a terrible coincidence she thought until taking one of her sick players for chemotherapy. the nurse said, you are like the fourth goal keeper i hooked up this week. >> reporter: the goalie had a theory. >> she says i have a feeling it has something to do with the black dots. >> reporter: the black dots crum rubber are shredded car and truck tires, used in turf fields between artificial blades of grass. they contain the capitals found in most tires t. international agency for cancer research labels four carcinogens. adding at low levels of exposure, they are considers safe. on a soccer field, goalkeepers, more than any other player roll around on the turf every practice. >> you end up ingesting the crum rubber by accident. it's unavoidable. >> reporter: he reached out to coach griffin. now he's on the list, na

. >> reporter: faye played soccer since she was 4 and was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma at age 16more research to be done and figure out exactly what's going on, on these fields. >> reporter: a father writes about his son, former college football player now battling leukemia. i feel sick to my stomach that the artificial turf can have so many chemicals. a cancer survivor from texas writes that she played soccer on turf at least twice a week her whole life and is keeping her kids on the local team. lessons on the soccer field far outweigh the ifs of the ground they play on. there's been no scientific link established between crumb rubber and cancer. synthetic turf council says we sympathize with those individuals who are battling a serious illness, citing numerous studies adding the prepond rans of evidence shows no negative health effects associated with crumb rubber and synthetic turf. advocacy groups and doctors say the studies that exist are limiting and more research needs to be done. some of our viewers would like to help. cancer survivor from ohio says i know that sharing my