It was reported last week that The European Commission has formally made a request to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to assess whether the presence of cancer causing substances in recycled rubber granules used as infill in synthetic turf pitches poses a risk to human health.

This seems long overdue and hopefully will finally lead to some clarity on an issue which seems to have been marred by confusion, as well as claim and counter claim by those with strong opinions or agenda on both sides of the fence.

Positive news also is the fact that FIFA have agreed to collaborate with the investigation. Which would hopefully mean we would see an official position on the health risks or not by football's governing body.

In its preliminary evaluation, ECHA said they will aim to:

• Identify any hazardous substances in the recycled rubber filling that may pose a health risk (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are carcinogenic and are already extensively restricted by EU legislation).
• Assess the risk resulting from skin, oral and inhalation exposure to these substances in recycled rubber filling used on both open air and indoor sports grounds

The results of ECHA's preliminary evaluation are expected by January 2017 - to be published in February 2017.

As well as FIFA, the ECHA will also be working with authorities from the United States where the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year agreed to conduct their own investigation following pressure from both the public and the scientific community.

Following the investigation what sort of ruling could we expect to see? In a statement the European Commission said, "On the basis of the conclusions, the Commission will consider whether there is a risk to human health that is not adequately controlled and needs to be addressed and, if so, will ask the Agency to prepare an Annex XV dossier for restriction.

"The precise scope of a possible Annex XV dossier in terms of substances to be addressed, uses of rubber granulate infill, and activities (e.g. sports and recreation) to be covered will be discussed with the Agency on the basis of the results of this preliminary evaluation."

So that sounds like even if they did find any troubling results, which of course they very well might not, it would almost certainly be a very long time, and many more investigations before any sort of regulations or limitations would be enforced. But still, at least we appear to be on the way to some sort of definite conclusion.

And whilst of course it's wrong to speculate on the outcome of an investigation which has yet to get fully underway, with all the news we've been seeing recently of clubs digging up their natural turf pitches in favour of artifical ones, some club chairmen must be nervous at what could be for them, very financially damaging findings.