RE: An issue where relevant information was not available

[Nina Powers <npowers@home.com>]

Karsten Rist posts;
"I have recently learned about CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate) treated wood. That is the greenish looking wood available at the lumber store. It has been around for more than ten years. It is now turning up in the waste stream and presents major disposal problems."

 Not all CCA wood can be detected by a green color. This product uses chromium, copper, and arsenic as wood preservatives, and has three types depending on the levels of CCA present. Products with the highest level of CCA retention, such as pilings, posts, saltwater or underwater applications, will be noticably green. You may have plywood or lumber that contains CCA, but is not detectable by color. It has been sold for more than 10 years. With a life expectancy of approx. 30 years, the wood used in the 70's is now showing up at landfills, along with the CCA wood coming in through normal demolition activities. The amount of CCA wood coming into our landfills by 2010 is projected to be 5 times more than what it is today. That is a serious toxic waste disposal problem. 

 My employer, Sarasota County Government, is a participant in a research project with the University of Miami and U. of Florida to identify CCA wood in the waste stream so that it can be diverted and disposed of properly. Unfortunately Gov. Jeb Bush has cut the funding through the Fl. Dept. of Environmental Protection that would have allowed this important project to continue. Here's a link to that research project;
http://www.ccaresearch.org/

Karsten Rist posts;
"We really do not want CCA in our landfills and we do not want to burn CCA treated wood because the smoke will be toxic. CCA also leaches into the ground below any kind of structure built from CCA treated wood. As a result, you would not want small children playing underneath a deck built from treated wood,for example."

 This wood is a hazard in other ways besides the arsenic contamination in the soil. Touching CCA wood dislodges arsenic. Children playing on CCA playgrounds can transfer the arsenic on their hands into their mouths, leading to exposure through ingestion. Additionally, vegetables grown in proximity to CCA wood, such as pressure treated raised beds, will absorb arsenic, leading to dietary exposure. This is a link to the Stilwell study;
http://www.caes.state.ct.us/PlantScienceDay/1999PSD/arsenic99.htm

Karsten Rist posts;
 "I understand that the lumber yard was supposed to make information on CCA treated wood available to every buyer of such material. However I have never seen this kind of information. What has gone wrong ? Did the EPA have jurisdiction over regulating the use of CCA treated wood ? Why is the negative information about this product only getting out now ? Is this a failure which we could learn from ?"

EPA was supposed to protect human health and the environment by regulating CCA wood. What went wrong is that Industry versus public issue that has been a problem in many EPA decisions. The Wood Preservatives Industry has the advantage. There will be an EPA public comment period open on CCA, do not miss the opportunity to remind EPA who they are tasked to protect. These are links to two non governmental organizations (NGO) with information on CCA wood not found on EPA's web site;
Beyond Pesticides/ NCAMP:
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/
Environmental Working Group:
http://www.ewg.org/