News Coverage
Use of Arsenic in Wood Products to End
Faced With Suits, Home Improvement Industry Agrees to 2-Year Phaseout
Published February 13, 2002
Chemical and home-improvement industry executives agreed yesterday to a two-year phaseout of the use of an arsenic-based preservative in pressure-treated wood that is widely used for fences, decks, playground equipment and boardwalks in homes and on playgrounds throughout the country. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, and the Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a study to determine whether children who repeatedly come in contact with the preservative -- known as chromated copper arsenate or CCA -- face a heightened risk of developing cancer of the lungs, bladder or skin, as some environmental and consumer groups contend. Home Depot, Loews and other building supply stores and manufacturers of lumber treated with the chemical are defendants in class action suits alleging they failed adequately to inform consumers of the health risks posed by the lumber. In announcing the agreement, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said that "it will ensure that future exposures to arsenic are minimized in residential areas," adding that "the companies deserve credit for coming forward in a voluntary way to undergo a conversion and retooling of their plants as quickly as possible." EPA and industry officials who negotiated the agreement said that there is no conclusive evidence that CCA-treated wood poses unreasonable health risks to the public. But industry officials acknowledged yesterday that mounting consumer demands for a safer alternative wood preservative that doesn't include arsenic had forced their hand. "Basically, we did it for market reasons," said John Taylor, vice president of Osmose Inc., one of the three chemical manufacturers that agreed to discontinue production of CCA within 22 months. Under the agreement, Osmose, Arch Wood Protection Inc. and Chemical Specialities Inc. will gradually reduce their production of CCA to give the estimated 350 wood treatment plants throughout the country time to retool and begin using alternative wood preservatives. The arsenic had been used because it helps prevent rot and kill damaging insects. The agreement applies to treated wood products used for homes and playgrounds, but will not affect production of wood used for utility poles, guard rails and other commercial applications. Environmental groups generally praised the companies' decision, but urged companies to stop selling the lumber before the end of 2003. "This product should never have been put on the market in the first place," said Richard Wiles, an Environmental Working Group senior vice president. "It represents the chemical industry at its absolute worst." Jay Feldman, executive director of the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, said the EPA should move to ban all hazardous wood preservatives, which he said have been linked to cancer, nervous system damage and birth defects. He said that yesterday's agreement fails to address the major public health problem posed by the continued presence of CCA in wood products in millions of homes and in parks and recreation areas. The EPA officials said they intend to move ahead with a risk assessment of CCA begun last spring, at the height of public concerns over levels of arsenic in drinking water and commercial products. However, while stressing that people should take precautions such as washing their hands after coming into contact with CCA-laced wood and never placing food directly on a deck or table surface, the EPA said it "does not believe" there is any reason to remove or replace CCA-treated structures." "Let there be no mistake, we absolutely stand by the safety of wood products treated with EPA-approved preservatives, including CCA," said Parker Brugge, executive director of the Treated Wood Council, an industry group. "We also continue to support rigorous scientific research, which has consistently upheld the safety of CCA-treated wood when used as recommended." Stephen Johnson, head of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, noted that it would have taken the government as long as five years to conclude the review and take appropriate action to remove CCA from the market if the three manufacturers hadn't voluntarily agreed to the two-year phaseout. "This cuts the time in half," Johnson said. The elimination of CCA-treated lumber will dramatically reshape the $ 4 billion a year pressure-treated wood industry and force companies to spend millions of dollars revamping their factories.