News Coverage
Preserved-wood industry removing arsenic treatment
Published November 4, 2002
This year wood preservative manufacturers voluntarily withdrew a pesticide that had been the market standard for decades.
That preservative was designed to prevent rot, mold and insect infestations in decks, fences, gazebos, children's play sets, landscaping and other outdoor residential uses.
The decision, made in February, came as the Environmental Protection Agency was conducting a review of public health risks from the treatment, chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which contains arsenic, a known human carcinogen.
"Of the wood previously treated with CCA, 70 percent to 80 percent will be treated with new-generation preservatives once the transition is complete by Dec. 31, 2003," says Parker Brugge, president of the Fairfax-based American Wood Preservers Institute (http://www.preservedwood.com).
Market-driven
The decision was market-driven and not based primarily on safety concerns, according to manufacturers. Regardless, one thing seems clear ‹ preserved wood prices are going up. "People are more interested in what goes into a product now than they were five years ago, and we think that we need to be responsive to the market," says John Taylor, vice president of the wood preserving division of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Osmose (http://www.osmose.com). Osmose is one of three U.S. manufacturers of CCA, along with Smyrna,Ga.-based Arch Wood Protection (http://www.wolmanizedwood.com) and Charlotte, N.C.-based Chemical Specialties (http://www.treatedwood.com). All three have developed alternative EPA-approved copper-based preservatives including NatureWood (Osmose), ACQ Preserve (Chemical Specialties) and Wolmanized Natural Select (Arch Wood). Wood treated with NatureWood is estimated to cost 15 to 25 percent more than CCA, depending on lumber prices, Taylor says. More expensive alternatives, such as rot-resistant redwood and cedar, or wood-resembling plastic, cost 75 percent to three times more. Several playground construction firms ceased using CCA-treated wood during the last year citing safety concerns, including Olympia-Wash.-based Kompan and Ithaca, N.Y.-based Leathers & Associates. More expensive production Alternative products cost more to produce and require additional raw materials, Taylor says. The switch from CCA to copper-based alternatives will cost Atlanta-based lumber provider Georgia-Pacific (http://www.gp.com) about $600,000 to convert equipment at its five facilities, says spokeswoman Robin Keegan. "It's too early to predict how much of an impact it would ultimately have on product prices," she says. Currently, 20 percent of Georgia-Pacific lumber is treated with CCA, Keegan says. The company supplies lumber to home builders, building-supply services and home improvement stores such as Atlanta-based The Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com) and Wilkesboro, N.C.-based Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse (http://www.lowes.com). Home Depot has not had any decrease in demand for CCA-treated wood since the announcement, despite warning tags with safe handling instructions on each piece of lumber, says Ron Jarvis, vice president of merchandising. "We do know that some builders are planning on using [wood treated with] CCA up to the last minute because of the lower cost, longevity of the product and just because of their confidence," Jarvis says. Meanwhile, wood industry insiders and environmentalists remain divided on the actual threat to consumer safety. A yearlong study of the dangers of arsenic-treated wood found no link between skin diseases and cancer in children playing on wood structures, according to The Florida Physicians Arsenic Workgroup, a six-physician panel appointed by the Florida Department of Health. Additionally, the EPA is advising the public not to demolish existing structures built from CCA-treated wood; however, the agency will not release its final comprehensive risk assessment until 2003. Arsenic liability? Fear of liability lawsuits may be the real driving force behind the manufacturers' actions, says Jane Houlihan, vice president of research for the D.C.-based Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.com). "The bottom line is the industry wouldn't have pulled such a successful chemical from the market if they believed it was perfectly safe," she says. An Environmental Working Group nationwide sampling of wood sold at Home Depot and Lowe's last fall found an average of 120 times as much arsenic in a wood area the size of a child's hand as EPA regulations permit in a six-ounce glass of water. The standard formulation of CCA used in wood is 22 percent arsenic, according to EWG. "Arsenic easily wipes off the surface of the wood through the life of the structure," Houlihan says. "When kids put their hands in their mouth, they get a dose of arsenic." CCA will still be allowed for some industrial uses where human contact would be minimal, such as highway construction, utility poles and pilings.