News Coverage
Arsenic, old play sets
Guidelines still fuzzy on what parents should do with arsenic-treated play sets, if anything
Published May 9, 2004
Now that arsenic-treated lumber is no longer being produced in the United States, parents are left with a quandary: what to do with the play sets already in their yards and playgrounds.
The treated-wood industry agreed to stop pressure-treating lumber with chromated copper arsenate after safety concerns were raised. CCA contains an inorganic form of arsenic, which has been linked to bladder and lung cancer.
Other copper-based chemical formulations are now used to treat lumber for outdoor use, but the CCA-treated lumber is already in wide use in existing play equipment. Some 14 percent of public playgrounds are made of the treated wood, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as are an uncounted number of backyard play sets.
What should be done about those existing structures isn't entirely clear. Some organizations recommend removing or altering play equipment; others say that's not necessary. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is studying sealants and coatings to determine whether they can keep arsenic from rubbing off on hands or leaching into soil, but commission spokesman Ken Giles said those results aren't expected for months.
``We just don't have a simple solution to give to people who have the CCA-treated wood already in the back yard,'' he said.
Part of the confusion lies in the disagreement among government agencies, environmentalists and the treated-lumber industry over the safety question.
The Wood Preservative Science Council, an industry group, insists there's no credible scientific evidence that children face a health risk from typical exposure to CCA-treated wood. Children are exposed to more inorganic arsenic in a bowl of rice than they are from treated-wood play equipment, said Jim Hale, a spokesman for the council.
Both inorganic arsenic and its less toxic organic form are found in varying degrees in food, water, soil and air.
Kids at greater risk
At the other end of the spectrum is the Environmental Working Group, an environmental research organization that maintains that because children can't metabolize arsenic as well as adults, they're particularly vulnerable to health risks. The group cites both a long-term risk of cancer and other serious illness, and a short-term risk of seizures and nerve damage from acute arsenic poisoning.
Somewhere in the middle are the U.S. EPA and Consumer Product Safety Commission.
CPSC staff scientists have reported that some children may face an increased risk of cancer during their lifetimes, mostly from hand-to-mouth contact with arsenic residue. The EPA, on the other hand, has said arsenic-treated structures are not a serious health risk.
However, a report released in November indicated the EPA may be changing its position.
The document, a preliminary report on a study being conducted into the risk to children from arsenic-treated decks and play sets, contains statistics that appear to contradict the agency's earlier statements. In the report, the EPA said that 90 percent of children who are repeatedly exposed to CCA-treated wood face a cancer risk greater than one in 1 million, the EPA's historic threshold of concern about the effects of toxic chemicals.
The EPA is studying CCA because it is required by law to re-evaluate the safety of older pesticides periodically. CCA is considered a pesticide.
An EPA spokesman cautioned that the findings are preliminary and called the increase in risk ``marginal.''
No clear answers
With no clear guidance, parents are faced with having to decide for themselves whom to believe and what to do about their backyard play structures.
The Environmental Working Group recommends people replace structures built of CCA-treated lumber if they can afford to do so. If not, the group recommends replacing handrails and other surfaces that get frequent hand contact, or sealing the surface with an oil-based sealant.
The group sells three types of kits for testing arsenic levels on its Web site, www.ewg.org. The kits sell for $20 to $35.
In addition, the organization recommends not storing toys or tools under the deck, where they might become coated with arsenic that leaches from the wood when it rains, and keeping children and pets away from the soil beneath and around arsenic-treated wood structures.
The CPSC recommends parents and caregivers thoroughly wash children's hands with soap and water immediately after they finish playing, and not allowing them to eat while on CCA-treated play equipment.
Despite its preliminary findings, the EPA is not recommending that families replace existing structures or the soil around them.
The Washington Post contributed to this report.