BURNS experts are this month calling for a ban on lime-based markings on
sports pitches. The move follows an incident during a soccer game in Wales in
which a goalkeeper was seriously burnt by the corrosive alkali as he made a
goal-line save—and fell directly onto fresh lime markings.
Although hydrated lime—calcium hydroxide—is only used rarely,
owing to its known dangers, it is still used on some pitches, says Derek Walder,
a consultant to Britain’s Institute of Groundsmanship. “There are probably a lot
of amateur clubs that still do it,” he says.
A team led by Viswanathan…
