More than 30 years after putting a man on the moon, football was still being played on artificial turf that looked — and felt — more like green cement.

Then came the new generation of fake fields. Gone is the oversized ping pong table; replacing it are millions of blades of synthetic grass and billions, if not trillions, of rubber pellets that provide cushioning.

Problem solved, right? Maybe not.

USA Today reports that the federal government is exploring a possible link between artificial turf and lead exposure. Just this week, two fields in New Jersey were shut down by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after finding “unexpectedly high” levels of lead.

Both of the fields in question were made by AstroTurf, which has transitioned from the flat green carpet to the new simulated grass fields. In a statement appearing on the company’s web site, AstroTurf says that lead is no longer being used in the production of the artificial surfaces. The company also claims that any lead was “encapsulated” in the product for the purposes of ensuring that the blades remained green, and that the lead can’t bleed out of the product.

Fine, but then where is the lead coming from?

Also, it’s unclear to us whether the lead was found in the old-style artificial turf or in the newfangled phony grass. Even if there isn’t, and hasn’t been, a problem with whatever makes the individual green blades green, it’s probably time to think about whether those rubber pellets pose any problems if/when a player gets a couple dozen of them down his gullet after being involved in a tackle.