Arsenic and old play sets

By Staff | February 18, 2002 | The Post | Cherokee County, AL

CENTRE - The United States' favorite type of pressure-treated lumber will be phased out of use by 2003, a federal agency announced last week.

On Feb. 12, the Environmental Protection Agency said the nation's lumber manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to halt residential use of CCA-treated wood. The announcement was made following the release of a study by The St. Petersburg Times.

Chemicals used to preserve wood have been thought for some time to be escaping from decks, fences, playgrounds and other wooden structures. One of the chemicals-chromated copper arsenate, or CCA-is a chemical pesticide widely used by pressure-treated wood manufacturers. CCA contains arsenic and is found in over 90 percent of all treated wood.

"We've always sold CCA-treated wood," said Brad Young of Lumber Mart in Centre. "Until the government gives us an alternative to that wood, we will continue to sell it. It is really up to their decision how this turns out."

In the newspaper study, the Times hired a laboratory to conduct soil tests of a playground in St. Petersburg where the equipment was constructed of wood. Every test conducted detected arsenic at levels above those considered safe by EPA standards. Safety experts claim the amount of arsenic found surrounding dozens of playgrounds across the nation present a serious threat to the health and well being of children.

"We've been in the process of having our playground equipment replaced anyway," said Centre Elementary School principal Dewayne Pierce after being told about the study.

"The wooden pieces we have now are pretty old and could be potentially dangerous, but I had no idea that they could also be toxic. I'll certainly have to speed up the replacement as soon as the funds become available."

Lumber industry lobbyists insist any levels of arsenic that might escape from the wood are too minute to pose a health risk, despite the stance of the EPA. The lobbyists claim the amount of harmful materials found leaking from CCA-treated wood are similar to the amount found in common drinking water. They also point out that any arsenic leaching from treated wood diminishes within six months.

"Most previous studies have shown the wood to be perfectly safe," said Young.

However, academic reviews and studies done by consumer groups have found extremely high arsenic exposures for people in regular contact with the wood, especially in the case of children who play on the material.

Small doses of arsenic can be fatal and long-term exposure can cause cancer. But it is unclear whether contact with arsenic leaking from wooden posts and boards is dangerous.

Even so, major corporate players such as Osmose, Inc., have agreed to place warning labels on their wood products informing consumers of the need to wear protective gear, such as goggles, gloves and dust masks when handling wood treated with CCA.

However, manufacturers continue to oppose requests by consumer groups to include the phrase "Warning: Pesticide" on those warning labels.

According to EPA Chief of Pesticide Regulation Stephen Johnson, a complete scientific assessment must be completed before the agency can tell consumers what to do about buying treated wood. He did say the EPA recommends only that people cover already existing structures made of CCA wood with an oil-based sealant, but not to completely replace or rebuild them. Most home supply stores sell picnic tables even though wood treatment companies say CCA-treated wood should never be used for food preparation.

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