inorganic vs organic arsenic

**"* M* <m*@stuartholme.qld.edu.au>**

Duane wrote regarding arsenic used in CCA timber -

"We eat it gladly in potatoes and shrimp. It is a natural element that is in most soils and much pure spring water." 

Duane, this is the sort of piffle the treated timber industry writes - there is a big difference between organic and inorganic arsenic. The treated timber industry might like to blur the distinction between the two, and the "arsenic in shrimp /prawns" is an old favourite "distractor" of the industry and its apologists. I would hope that garden writers would do enough research to realise the difference.

I think the industry approach to this issue is is a fairly standard one - we've been through the same thing with asbestos and tobacco among others - first the industry denies there's a problem, then when they can't run that argument any more they try to confuse the issue by bringing in a range of other issues (eg lung cancer is caused by burning tyres not tobacco smoke!!), eventually their "research" is shown to be lies and distortions and they say they'll self-regulate, this doesn't work and eventually society regulates the industry. In the case of asbestos this process took over 100 years, in tobacco about 30 years (one can only wonder at what cost and how many lives lost). How long for CCA?

Cheers,
Michael
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