Oakland activists win ban on arsenic-treated wood

Lumber industry agrees to new EPA rules, but green groups want more

Oakland Tribune, Douglas Fischer
Published February 13, 2002

Lumber manufacturers agreed to ban arsenic preservatives in pressure-treated wood, reducing the poison leaching out of play-structures, decks and picnic tables and onto the hands of children, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday. The agreement, to be phased in over two years, is a victory for Oakland-based environmentalists, who have campaigned for a ban and hounded the lumber industry with public-interest lawsuits. But it's not enough, said Bill Walker of the Environmental Working Group's Oakland office, which has led the charge. A bill to be filed today in the Legislature chinks the gaps: broadening the federal phase-out; requiring special disposal for arsenic-treated wood and enforcing an oft-ignored state law requiring biennial sealing of existing arsenic-treated wood structures. EPA administrator Christie Whitman credited a "responsible action" by the lumber industry for minimizing arsenic exposure. "The companies deserve credit for coming forward in a voluntary way to undergo a new conversion and retooling of their plants as quickly as possible." The agreement ends the use of chromated copper arsenate in almost all lumber by December 2003. CCA is a powerful pesticide used to protect lumber from decay and insect damage. Arsenic causes cancer in people. Last year, President Bush reversed his position and accepted a Clinton administration rule reducing the amount of arsenic in drinking water. Industry officials said their action was voluntary, and CCA-treated wood is safe. "Let there be no mistake -- we absolutely stand by the safety of wood products treated with EPA-approved preservatives, including CCA," said Parke Brugge, executive director of the Treated Wood Council. Studies by the Environmental Working Group have found arsenic levels on new wood from Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses averaged 247 micrograms when an area about the size of a 4-year-old's handprint was rubbed. By contrast, the amount of arsenic allowed in a six-ounce glass of water is 2 micrograms. "All other pesticide uses of arsenic are banned in the U.S.," Walker said. "The industry finally recognized that there was no defense to selling wood that's been treated with arsenic." The phase-out applies only to new wood; exposure to the pesticide in older structures can be limited by applying some oil-based coatings annually, studies have shown. The EPA said there is no reason for homeowners to remove or replace wood. The new generation of preserved wood is manufactured under names such as ACQ Preserve, NatureWood and Wolmanized Natural Select, according to the Treated Wood Council. As with CCA, the new preservatives have been approved for use by the EPA and extend the life of wood products from years to decades.