Precautions in handling CCA WoodWhat precautions can I take?Fortunately, several are effective.Use a pressure treated wood which does not contain arsenic: Several pressure treated wood formulations which do not contain arsenic are available right now. Your lumberyard may carry these under the trade names of "ACQ" or "Kodiak Wood", or they may be listed as preserved with ACQ (Ammoniacial Copper Quaternary), copper azole and/or copper citrate. All are arsenic-free and effective against rot and insects: the US EPA says they are safe, and the American Wood Preservers Association says they work. If your lumberyard does not stock these, they can order them. You might be interested to know that these are the wood-preservation formulas used in Japan and Europe, where CCA treated wood is banned. Seal existing construction: If you already have a CCA wood structure, seal it every two years with a waterproof sealant, paint or stain. Do NOT use acid deck wash or brighteners as these have been suspected to accelerate release of arsenic from CCA wood. Sealing your deck can reduce arsenic leeching by 90% (reference). Never burn CCA wood! The ash is so highly toxic that a family who used CCA wood to heat their house had blackouts, grand mal seizures, their hair fell out and their plants and fish died (report in the Journal of the American Medical Association). Read more about toxic CCA ash effects on humans and animals on the 'CCA Wood' Tab, to the left. At this point, CCA wood can only be disposed of in special land fills. Check with your local waste agency for precautions and regulations. Let's all hope that arsenic in the wood stays in place as it decomposes. Take precautions when cleaning up after a CCA wood fire If you have a fire of a CCA wood structure, like a deck or gazebo, you MUST treat the ash as toxic, because it is. Again, ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin of 1 Tablespoon of this ash can be lethal to an adult. Wear a respirator rated for asbestos dust, and fully cover all exposed skin including hands and face. Disposable Tyvek suits are available through most Industrial supply companies like Granger, McMaster, etc. have your clothing rinsed down before disrobing. New construction: Don't add arsenic to your backyard. In particular, plants can take up arsenic from the soils, so it may not be a good idea to use CCA wood in Vegetable Gardens. Se the paragraph above on arsenic-free alternatives. Make your local lumberyard aware of the dangers of arsenic.
 What can I do?The only reason that CCA wood is still used is economics: it is 5 to 10% cheaper than other wood treatments. Using this logic, it would be sound practice to use asbestos as an insulation material in schools because it's really cheap at the moment.Contact your local elected representative about the unnecessary dangers of living with arsenic in your backyard. Propose tariffs, taxes or a levy on CCA lumber. The added expense will make the safer treatments more widely available, and provide a handy financial resource for what could become the biggest cleanup operation in history. Write your state or Federal Environmental agency make them aware of the dangers of arsenic in CCA wood, and tell them we the risk outweighs the benefit since safer alternatives are available. Get an arsenic test of your soil. Do you have small children who may play under the deck? Concerned about a house with an old deck that you are looking at? Do you live in an area of Acid Rain (which may leech arsenic out of CCA Wood)? Get an arsenic test of the soil under the deck, see the Test Labs' tab at the left.. Look into Arsenic Abatement. See the Alternatives Tab, to the left.
LinksLinks Here is a page of links to other sites on CCA lumber, including a link to the Wood treatment industry page.It is our intention to have this a completely factual forum for the discussion of the risks and benefits of CCA and other pressure treated woods. If you would like to contribute, correct errors, have an idea, gripe, link or comment, contact me, Richard Martin . I want to make this a balanced public forum, and as factual as possible. I would be happy to add your comments or counterpoint to our comment page.
It is our intention to have this a completely factual forum for the discussion of the risks and benefits of CCA and other pressure treated woods. If you would like to contribute, correct errors, have an idea, gripe, link or comment, contact me, Richard Martin . I want to make this a balanced public forum, and as factual as possible. I would be happy to add your comments or counterpoint to our comment page.
Liability: This site is intended as a discussion site only to present only factual information about arsenic and its effects on the environment. This site is not intended to either promote or denigrate any product over any another. The Author assumes no liability beyond the liability to correct material facts in error.
Richard Martin |