News Coverage
Arsenic-treated Lumber Not Being Used at Beaches
Published January 18, 2003
Beaches building officials have stopped using arsenic-treated lumber that has been widely used to build fences, patios and playgrounds, but is being phased out by the end of this year due to health concerns.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced last year that the lumber industry agreed to stop selling wood treated with chromated copper arsenate by Dec. 31. The decision results from concerns that the arsenic may leach into the soil and possibly pose a public health threat.
Beaches building officials no longer use CCA-treated lumber for playgrounds, park benches, dune walkovers and other public projects. Instead, they are using recycled plastic, steel or wood treated with something other than arsenic. 'We found some better products, period,' said Dan Ford, who heads the Atlantic Beach Building Department. However, Atlantic Beach used CCA-treated lumber in recent years for handrails on three dune walkovers because there were no other options available for the project's requirements, Ford said.
The lumber, which has been in use for six decades, is injected with CCA to build a barrier against termites and decay.
There are conflicting reports on how much arsenic in playground soil poses a risk and no scientific consensus on what, if any, harm it poses. The EPA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are studying the issue.
Jacksonville Beach officials learned about possible health concerns related to CCA-treated lumber in 2001 before buying wood for a community-built playground at South Beach Park. The City Council voted to spend $ 10,000 more on an alternative lumber.
'Why take any chances?' asked City Manager George Forbes. 'Especially on a playground.'
A few months ago, the council selected the same alternative lumber for 44 dune walkovers the city will start building next month.
The EPA's announcement came years ahead of its scientific assessment of arsenic-treated wood. The agency has not concluded that the lumber poses an unreasonable risk to the public. However, arsenic is a known carcinogen and the EPA said in its announcement that any reduction in exposure to arsenic is desirable.
Building industry experts predict lumber prices will increase once CCA-treated wood is removed from the market, since cedar and wood treatment alternatives are more expensive.
'Right now, it really hasn't had an impact,' said Mike Casey, the manager of Scotty's hardware store in Neptune Beach. 'But we're expecting the industry to do away with CCA.'
Arsenic is a naturally occurring carcinogen. According to the National Academy of Sciences, exposure to arsenic causes lung, bladder and skin cancer in humans and is suspected as a cause of kidney, prostate and nasal passage cancer.
While the EPA has banned most pesticides containing arsenic, it designated CCA as a restricted-use pesticide in 1985. However, CCA-treated wood products aren't regulated like the pesticide because it had been assumed that the chemical would stay in the wood.
The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research and watchdog organization, filed a petition with the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2001 asking the agency to ban use of CCA-treated wood for playgrounds.
The research group said that at least seven studies from state health departments, the wood industry, university researchers and independent consumer test programs show that, on average, 16 times more arsenic rubs off the surface of the treated wood than EPA allows in a 6-ounce glass of water.
However, a Physicians Arsenic Work Group commissioned by the Florida Department of Health to evaluate the risk said the data 'have not demonstrated any clinical disease associated with arsenic exposure from the use of the CCA-treated wood.'
The panel stated that 'CCA-treated wood has never been linked to skin diseases or cancer in children exposed during recreational use.'
The EPA does not recommend that consumers replace or remove existing structures made with CCA-treated wood or the soil surrounding those structures. However, the agency and the Consumer Products Safety Commission agree that sealing that wood may help prevent the chemical from leaching out.
SAFETY STEPS
The EPA recommends these steps to reduce exposure to wood treated with CCA, or chromated copper arsenate:
Always wash hands thoroughly after contact with any wood, especially before eating and drinking.
Treated wood should never be burned in open fires, stoves, fireplaces or residential boilers.
Food should not come into direct contact with treated wood.
Applying a coating product to pressure-treated wood on a regular basis can reduce the amount of CCA that leaches from treated wood.
Consider the range of alternatives to CCA-treated wood, including non-arsenic and chemical wood preservatives. Consult your local home improvement store for more information about alternatives.