All Hands On Deck: Arsenic-Treated Lumber Safety

Ten safety steps to reduce your family’s exposure to arsenic from arsenic-treated wood

Though prohibitively expensive for some families, replacing arsenic-treated wood structures with safer alternatives (wood with arsenic-free preservatives, cedar, or recycled plastic composite) is the best long-term solution to reducing risks. Short of that, here are simple steps you can take to reduce arsenic exposures:

1. Seal the wood at least every six months with standard penetrating deck treatments.
2. Replace sections of potential high exposure like handrails, steps, or deck boards with non-arsenic alternatives.
3. Wash your hands and your children’s hands after every exposure to arsenic-treated wood, especially before eating.
4. Keep children and pets away from the soil beneath and immediately surrounding arsenic-treated wood structures.
5. Cover arsenic-treated picnic tables with a tablecloth before using.
6. Do not pressure wash to clean the surface of arsenic-treated wood. Instead use a soap and water solution, with disposable cleaning supplies. Pressurized water will blast off the upper surface of the wood and spray arsenic-contaminated particles over your yard.
7. Do not allow children to play on rough wood surfaces. Arsenic-treated wood splinters can be dangerous.
8. Never sand arsenic-treated lumber. If wood is smooth enough that splinters are not a risk, avoid sanding a deck to prepare the surface for sealing—use a simple soap and water wash instead. Wood dust formed by sanding contains arsenic that is easily ingested by a child, or can wash off the surface to contaminate the soil below.
9. Do not store toys or tools under the deck. Arsenic leaches from the wood when it rains and may coat things left there.
10. Do not use commercial “deck washing” solutions. These solutions can convert chemicals on the wood to a more toxic form.