References on Arsenic Treated Wood
Ecology does not endorse any of the documents listed. Our intention is to provide the public with access to a wide range of information that may be helpful in furthering their understanding or education on a specific subject.
Q: Does painting (or applying a coating) to chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood in play areas protect children from arsenic exposure from the treated wood?
A: Yes, though probably not completely. EPA and the manufacturers of CCA wood recommend application of a top-coat to minimize the potential for exposure to arsenic and to maintain the effectiveness of the treatment to prevent rot and insect damage to the treated wood. There is a very significant difference between the results of swab samples of the material surface between uncoated and coated CCA wood. Potential exposure is highest when CCA wood is new, leaching/surface As levels decrease with time, and availability is higher wet than dry.
Documents (please note: the following list of documents and links is not comprehensive)
Estimating the risk of skin cancer from ingested inorganic arsenic. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Memo, January 1990
The Poisonwood Rivals a report on the dangers of touching arsenic treated wood. The Environmental Working Group/Healthy Building Network
CCA Web Sites (for further information, please see building.htm for alternatives to treated wood)
http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap/2001/october/final_expo_doc_927.pdf Office of Science Coordination document evaluating literature on CCA playground equipment exposure potentials for children.
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/cca_consumer_safety.htm Office of Pesticide Consumer Safety document for CCA
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/cca_qa.htm EPA Q&A on CCA lumber
NOTE: Dr. Kissell, U of W, was on the FIFRA Science Advisory Committee that evaluated As exposure from CCA, and may have additional information or insights.
http://www.westernwoodpreserving.com/environ.htm The industry perspective.
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/1file.htm EPA Office of Pesticides CCA links page
http://www.pcimag.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0%2C1846%2C925%2C00.html Paint and coating manufacturers info on finishing CCA lumber. This information assumes no exposure risk from CCA, and is focused on protecting the wood from weather.
http://treatedwood.com/news/ news article on pressure treated wood not using CCA
http://www.preservedwood.com/safety/research_rosen.html plant uptake/soil As research summary, Minnesota
http://www.sptimes.net/News/041801/State/Touching_treated_wood.shtml Florida article w/”plain language” coverage of CCA wood/playground issues
http://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/papers/lumber.htm U. of Wisconsin short "plain English" summary of gardening in raised beds issues; conclusion, not much of a problem.
Fungal Degradation and Remediation of Preservative-Treated Waste Wood An estimated 60 million board feet of wood products treated with the preservative chromated copper arsenate (CCA) have been placed in service since the early 1970s. This wood, along with products treated with ammoniacal copper quat (ACQ), creosote, and pentachlorophenol, will be removed from service in the near future. Because CCA-treated wood is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a nonhazardous material, nearly all of it is discarded in approved landfills. Waste management systems are needed to address this growing waste wood problem. FPL researchers have developed bioprocessing strategies using fungi and bacteria that degrade the waste wood, remove the toxic metals, or degrade the toxic preservatives. For example, bioremediation with common soil bacteria has been shown to remove significant amounts of copper, chromium, and arsenic from CCA-treated wood. This process essentially cleans the preservative from the wood so that the wood can be recycled into composite products. So far, FPL researchers have produced four patent applications for bioremediation methods using fungi. In the future, they will improve techniques for bacterial remediation and scale up the size of their test projects. Successfully degrading or recycling treated waste wood will extend our landfill space, reduce the potential for soil contamination, and possibly offset timber harvest by an estimated 500 million cubic feet per year.
Author Douglas L. Noble, et al
Publisher U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Abstract This memorandum is to advise the Commission of the completio and availability of a study by the Directorate for Health Sciences (HS) for assessing the cancer risk to children playng on pressure treated wood playground equipment. (The components of the study, as described below, are available for review by the Commissioners and their staff in the Office of the Scretary). This study will be used by the Vulnerable Populations Team in the development of the revised Playground Equipment Handbook. The revised Handbook is scheduled to be completed during second quarter of Fiscal Year 1991. The study consists of four separate reports with a cover memorandum and executive summary. The individual reports are: 1) "Report on Leaching, Distributio and Dislodgealbe Arsenic and Copper from Pressure Treated and Untreated Wood." 2)"estimation of Hand-To_Mouth Activity by Children Based on Soil Ingestion for Dislodgeable Arsenic Exposure Assessment." 3)"Estimating the Risk of Skin Cancer from Ingested Inorganic Arsenic." 4) "Dislodgeable Arsenic on Playground Equipment Wood and the Estimated Risk of Skin Cancer."
Location MATURI
Preliminary 12/04/95
http://www.epa.gov/opppmsd1/RestProd/rupdec01.htm
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Listing from EPA Office of Pesticide Programs “restricted” list, for Chromic Acid (as a component of CCA in certain formulations) EPA CODE :021101 REVISION DATE :02/01/99 CHEMICAL :CHROMIC ACID PM :34 CAS NUMBER :07738-94-5 PRODUCTION DATE :06/30/89 CHANNEL OF TRADE :06/30/90 CRITERIA EPA ACTIONS -------- ----------- Oncogenicity, mutagenicity, 1. Registration Standard (June, 1988) teratogenicity, and fetotoxic 2. If in combination with arsneic, effects effective date is 11/10/86, as per Wood Preservatives PD4. FORMULATION USE ----------- --- All formulations except brush-on. All Wood Preservative uses EPA REG. NO. STATUS PRODUCT NAME ------------ ---------- ------------ 61-128 CANCELLED Wolmanac Concentrate 50% (Industrial Use) 61-141 CANCELLED Wolmanac Concentrate 70% for Industrial Use Only 61-170 CANCELLED Allied Chemical CCA Type B Wood Preservative 61-173 CANCELLED Wolman Concentrate 72% 1022-552 CANCELLED Chapman CCA-50 3008-16 ACTIVE Osmose K-33 (72%) Wood Preservative 3008-17 Osmose D-33-C (72%) Wood Preservative 3008-24 CANCELLED Osmose P-50 Wood Preservative 3008-34 Osmose K-33 (60%) Wood Preservative 3008-35 Osmose K-33 (40%) Wood Preservative 3008-36 Osmose K-33-C (50%) Wood Preservative 3008-42 Osmose K-33-A (50%) Wood Preservative 3008-60 ACTIVE Osmos ACC 50% Wood Preservative 8333-1 CANCELLED Boliden-CCA Wood Preservative 8333-2 CANCELLED Taco CCA Conc.(40%) 10346-24 ACTIVE Chromic Acid 10356-6 CANCELLED Greenwood Concentrate Chromated Copper Arsenate CCA-C 50% Concentrate 10356-8 CCA Type C Wood Preservative Chromated Copper Arsenate 50% Conc. 10356-9 CCA A Wood Preservative Chromated Copper Arsenate 60% Conc. 10356-10 CCA B Wood Preservative Chromated Copper Arsenate 40% Conc. 10356-12 CANCELLED CCA-Type A Wood Preservative 50% Concentration 10356-13 CCA - Type C Wood Preservative 60% Conc. 10356-24 ACTIVE Chromic Acid 10465-10 CANCELLED CCA Type C Wood Preservative Chromated Copper Arsenate 50% Concentrate 10465-11 CANCELLED CCA-A Wood Preservative Chromated Copper Arsenate 60% Concentrate 10465-12 CANCELLED CCA B Wood Preservative Chromated Copper Arsenate 40% Conc. 10465-19 CANCELLED CCA-Type A Wood Preservative 50% Concentration 10465-20 CANCELLED CCA-Type C Wood Preservative 60% Concentration 10465-41 ACTIVE CHROMIC ACID 35896-2 Woodlast Concentrate Wood Preservative Aqueous 50% Solution CCA-Type A 47097-1 CANCELLED Rentokil CCA Type A 50% Chromated Copper Arsenate 47097-2 CANCELLED Rentokil CCA-Type A 60% 47097-3 CANCELLED Rentokil CCA Type C 50% 47097-4 CANCELLED Rentokil CCA Type C 60% 48706-1 CANCELLED CCA Type C 50% Chromated Copper Arsenate 62190-11 CCA Type C 50% Chromated Coppper Oxide |
http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap/2001/october/ccawood.pdf Office of Pesticides Science Advisory Panel final report, highly technical Q&A
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Part II: Human Health and Ecosystem Effects. J. O. Nriagu, ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. pp. 55-91. (GO BACK) 22. National Research Council (NRC). 1999. Arsenic in Drinking Water. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. http://books.nap.edu/books/0309063337/html/. (GO BACK) 23. National Research Council (NRC). 2001. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. http://books.nap.edu/books/0309072794/html/. 399-404. (GO BACK) 24. Peryea, F. J. 1998. Historical use of lead arsenate insecticides, resulting soil contamination and implications for soil remediation. Proc. 16th World Congress of Soil Science, Montpellier, France, 20-26 Aug. 1-4. (GO BACK) 25. Raven, K. P. and R. H. Loeppert. 1997. Trace element composition of fertilizers and soil amendments. J. Environ. Qual. 26:551-557. (GO BACK) 26. Townsend, T. K. et al. 2001. New lines of CCA-treated wood research: in-service and disposal issues. Florida Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste management, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32609 Report #00-12. (GO BACK) 27. Stilwell, D. 1999. Arsenic in pressure treated wood. http://www.caes.state.ct.us/PlantScienceDay/1999PSD/arsenic99.htm. (GO BACK) 28. Stilwell, D. E. and K. D. Gorny. 1997. Contamination of soil with copper, chromium, and arsenic under decks built from pressure treated wood. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 58:22-29. (GO BACK) 29. U.S. EPA. 1997. Exposure Factors Handbook. Volume I: General Factors. EPA/600/P-25/002Fa. (GO BACK) 30. Weis, J. S. et al. 1998. The extent of benthic impacts of CCA-treated wood structures in Atlantic Coast estuaries. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 34:313-322. (GO BACK) 31. Yamauchi, H., and B. A. Fowler. 1994. Toxicity and metabolism of inorganic and methylated arsenicals. Arsenic in the Environment. Part II: Human Health and Ecosystem Effects. J. O. Nriagu, ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. pp. 35-53. (GO BACK) 32. Yan-Chu. 1994. Arsenic distribution in soils. Arsenic in the Environment, Part 1: Cycling and Characterization. J. O. Nriagu, ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. pp. 17-49. {Bibliography from WSU newsletter article at url: http://www2.tricity.wsu.edu/aenews/June01AENews/June01AENews.htm#anchor1514150}