---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 14:20:23 -0400 From: Huck_DeVenzio@HicksonCorp.COM To: london@sunsite.unc.edu Subject: Info on pressure-treated wood Mr. London: I saw your posting on the Green building list and visited the site you referred to (http://sunsite.unc.edu/InterGarden/pested/faqs/pressure-treated-lumber). Many of the comments, as you noted, are opinions, and there are a number of inaccuracate and misleading statements; nothing is newer than 1994. Is there some way that other sources could be added? I am in the treated wood industry, so I have a pro-treatment bias, but there have been recent noteworthy discussions on CCA-treated wood on the Greenbuilding list (not all favorable) and the Gardens list (gardens@lsv.uky.edu). I think the most reliable information is available from our industry by visiting www.awpi.org or the Hickson site at www.hickson.com. If people are looking for factual information on this issue, these web sites would be useful. Thanks. --------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 13:22:18 -0400 From: Huck_DeVenzio@HicksonCorp.COM Subject: Info on treated wood Here's another site that might be useful regarding treated wood in gardens http://ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/techinfo/mk_n15.asc The same information seems also to appear at: http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modc1/41594003.html The material was written by a Michigan State toxicologist. - Article: 29587 of rec.gardens Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: Is CCA PT lumber OK for a [Pressure Treated Lumber faq1 - gen. info] From: jim.mcnelly@gcbb.granite.mn.org (Jim Mcnelly) Date: Sat, 9 Apr 94 13:06:00 +0600 Organization: Granite Information Svs. 612-654-8372 hst 656-0678 v.32bis Doug Caprette asks: D>Hmm, I get the impression that I may have just missed a discussion on this >topic. D>Anyway, can anyone provide some informed opinion as to whether there would be >any problems anticipated with the use of Chromated copper arsenate treated >lumber for a grape arbor? D>"I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo;" -- Elrond Great tagline Doug, Here is my FAQ on Arsenic Lumber, and in another post, the product safety sheet that is *supposed* to be handed out to every purchaser of the product which was a part of the EPA agreement to allow the product to be sold. Additional information on CCA, Chromated Copper Arsenate. The wood has been tested by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Hazardous Waste section to be over 3000 parts per million arsenic. The EPA limit on arsenic in sewage sludge for unrestricted use is 11 PPM. There is at least one case of 24 cows dying from eating ash from CCA wood ash in MN and several cases in other states. There is another case of arsenic poisoning in a Wisconsin family from a backdraft in their fireplace while burning treated wood. Arsenic is associated with hair loss, diarrhea, asthma, skin cancer and other skin disorders. Particular caution should be exercised if the wood has a white, gritty residue on the surface, as these may be arsenic crystals. Penetrating oil stain may slow down weathering of fibers and reduce arsenic surface residues. The exposed ends of boards are more likely to leach arsenic than the rest of the board. The wood should be resealed every two years. Of particular concern is sawdust left at construction sites that can he ingested by children, pets, or become exposed to the skin. Runoff of sawdust into ponds, pools, wells and gardens is another concern. Arsenic is rated by the EPA as a class A carcinogen, the top level of risk. Children "mouthing" the wood are also at risk, especially the board ends that release twelve times the arsenic of the rest of the wood. This is especially a concern as arsenic treated wood is a common component in playground equipment. Tests for arsenic beneath children's play equipment have run as high as hundreds of times above background levels. Treated wood is also a problem in disposal. While such a broad range biocide such as CCA retards decay, it does not stop it. Estimates of rot resistance of 20 to 50 years are common. The wood will *eventually* decay, and with the sawdust and ends from construction, will have to go somewhere. The treated wood industries have lobbied to have CCA treated wood exempted from hazardous waste designation through a de-listing procedure that is still unclear. The product is currently allowed to be sent to conventional and demolition landfills. It is often burned with other wood wastes and is commonly chipped into landscape mulch or compressed into toxic fuel pellets. It releases toxic fumes and ash in house fires, putting neighbors and firefighters at extra risk. The ash from a burned CCA patio deck is not managed as the hazardous material it is. The argument from the treated wood industry has been that the arsenic does not leach from the wood fiber under normal soil conditions. While this is somewhat true, it is misleading. The wood will _eventually_ decay and leach its metals and there is currently no safe disposal. The practice of burning wood scraps and the mismanagement of the wood both residentially and commercially has resulted in airborne arsenic levels increasing nationwide, especially in the major cities where scavengers burn scrap wood for heat. Most uses of the wood such as decks, fences, and stakes are not necessary for such extreme wood treatment. Only in the Southeast is the potential of climate high in promoting decay. There is no need for treated wood at all in the west, except on the northwest coast. Because of these concerns, but primarily due to the threats of the wood to commercial organic wood recycling, I am recommending that the product only be sold or used by licensed and trained professionals, similar to other hazardous pesticides, and that it be banned from non-hazardous land disposal sites. Mr Compost~~~ Jim~ McNelly ReSourceNet and GardenNet 612-654-8372, 656-0678 v.32bis jim.mcnelly@granite.mn.org --- * April 9th - A bird in the hand craps on the wrist.