News Coverage
Treated-wood arsenic prompts fears, phaseout
Published June 24, 2004
Your deck could be causing cancer.
There still is no final word as to whether chromated copper arsenate, a form of arsenic used as a wood preservative in residential structures, has a cancer risk.
Concern, however, prompted the lumber industry to voluntarily phase out arsenic-treated wood in the past two years, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has banned all sales of the wood for residential purposes beginning this year.
Plenty of structures that contain arsenic - including decks and playground equipment - still are out there. As environmentalist groups assert that arsenic-treated products have a cancer risk, public awareness of the issue, even in places with a relatively high number of decks such as McHenry County, remains low.
Pat McNulty, public health administrator for McHenry County, said his office gets more inquiries about arsenic-treated wood when the issue comes up in the media.
"A lot of people are probably not aware that it is a problem," he said.
Arsenic, a known human carcinogen, is designed to protect wood from dry rot, fungi, and termites and other pests. It has been in use since the 1940s.
Commonly used in residential structures, 90 percent of existing wooden structures are made with arsenic-treated wood, said Liz Moore, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, which conducted its own arsenic study two years ago.
The group's study showed that one in 500 children who are exposed to arsenic-treated structures three times a week will develop cancer, Moore said. The study also showed that older structures expose people to just as much arsenic as newer ones.
Children have a larger exposure risk because they often put their fingers into their mouths after playing on playgrounds without washing their hands first.
"EPA has a really short list of chemicals that are known human carcinogens, and arsenic is one of them," Moore said. "This is a big deal."
Instead of using arsenic, the wood-treatment industry has switched to a copper-based formula that does not contain the carcinogen, Moore said.
The EPA still is conducting a risk assessment for arsenic-treated wood, although it did release a preliminary report in February.
The agency hopes to issue a final report early next year, said Doug Parsons, communications director for the EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.
PLAY PATTERNS AND RISK
In the meantime, the agency has not called for consumers to replace arsenic-treated structures. But Parsons said the preliminary data, based on children's play patterns in different climate areas, show that there is some potential risk in certain situations.
"Clearly a kid in Chicago is going to have different play habits than a kid in Florida," Parsons said. "Kids living in a warmer climate are playing outside more, and have a higher exposure scenario and a higher risk assessment."
Although the issue over arsenic-treated wood is causing an uproar in Washington, the concern is much less prevalent in McHenry County.
Ralph Kammermeier, owner of Woodstock Lumber, said his lumber stocks were arsenic-free a year ago, but few people knew about it.
"We have never had anyone ask about it, except one customer [two years ago], and he is an old-time retired guy that makes birdhouses," Kammermeier said. "The public has no idea."
Although the price of lumber has been relatively high this year, Kammermeier was not sure whether it was because of new chemical treatments or just normal market fluctuations. But with all lumber retailers selling basically the same thing, Kammermeier said, the new treatment regulations would have no effect on the market.
There was no effect on Greg Kaufmann, a Woodstock carpenter who built a deck for his home last year. He said he did not worry about arsenic during or after construction.
"It's always a small concern, but they don't use that anymore," he said. "It really didn't have a concern with me."
AT SCHOOL, AT HOME
In the past, arsenic-treated wood also was used in playgrounds, but the equipment of many school districts now is primarily made of plastic.
The only wooden structure left in Woodstock's District 200 is a support system for a slide at Dean Elementary School, said Mark Pitcher, the buildings and grounds director. But Pitcher said that because school districts take a proactive approach in upgrading their playgrounds and responding to problems, the bigger concern is decks at home.
"If you put Junior on the back deck, who knows what Junior is going to be doing," Pitcher said. "How often are kids on playgrounds, maybe one or two hours a week, whereas at their house, they are going to be on their home playground much more time."
Joe Schafer, co-owner of Crystal Lake-based Schafer Builders, said there is a concern about wood treatment in general, and customers often ask about alternative decking materials. But no one has asked about arsenic or sought to replace an arsenic-treated deck.
"I don't think the media has really grabbed onto that," Schafer said. "I wouldn't say most people, but some people do ask about the material and what's in it."
The low level of public awareness has sparked the McHenry County Department of Health to put together a brochure about arsenic-treated wood and precautions that residents should take. The brochure will be available in the next month or so, McNulty said.
HAND WASHING HELPS
In the meantime, McNulty said, his department has not taken a formal position on the issue. But he suggested that concerned residents use sealants to keep the arsenic from seeping out of the wood.
He also suggested a common practice that every child should know - hand washing.
"Hand washing goes very far, especially children that have contact with play sets before they eat," he said. "Hand washing is an inexpensive and crucial component of life that we need to get people to do, and that will go far in this type of situation."