Arsenic Agreement

ABC News, Staff
Published February 4, 2002

There's now an agreement to protect children from dangerous arsenic commonly found in the lumber used to make playgrounds and decks. The ABC7 News I-Team first revealed the dangers of pressure-treated wood last May. Jan. 31 - The Environmental Protection Agency and the wood industry have reached a deal to phase out the production of pressure-treated wood - the final details will be worked out in the coming weeks. The government is taking action, because the arsenic used to treat the wood can seep out and make you sick. It's hard to believe that a chemical that can be so dangerous is commonly found on surfaces you might touch everyday Bill Walker, Environmental Working Group: "The use has just skyrocketed in the last couple of decades." Bill walker is with the Environmental Working Group in Oakland. His organization has been voicing concerns over the amount of product that's out there. "We found that 99-percent of the wood used for outdoor purposes in the united states is treated with arsenic." Our I-Team investigation had similar results. We found high levels of arsenic on wood we tested at playgrounds, posts, decks and handrails And we spoke with one man who got terribly sick after building a boat dock with pressure treated wood. Rick Feutz, Arsenic Poison Victim: "A prudent man doesn't expect to go to the store and buy lumber that will kill him and in this case it just about did." We also went inside hardware and lumber stores and found that consumers are not getting warned about the dangers of working with the wood. Home retail giants like Home Depot told us the EPA-approved wood was safe and these tags warned customers of any possible dangers. But the EPA's new stance will bring big change to the 4-billion dollar a year pressure-treated lumber business, forcing companies to develop a better product that stands up to the law, and an educated consumer. In agreeing to phase out production of arsenic treated wood, manufacturers want the EPA to end studies that would reveal the health risks associated with the product. If this is the case, the public may never know how great a carcinogen CCA-treated wood really was. If you have this wood at your home or a playground, you should know a couple of things: * The danger from arsenic drops greatly as the wood ages. * You should use paint or a sealant to keep the poison away from you or your kids.