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Fw: [compost] Re: treated (CCA) wood?

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

A question that repeats itself here and there.
Organic Gardening magazine will send you a full set of references with cites
to peer reviewed journal articles for, I think, 3$ US...

Alternatives to poisoned wood include black locust, osage orange, white
cedar, redwood, mulberry, stone, concrete, and the new-fangled recycled
plastic....or, for raised beds, nothing but a bit of soil-shaping....

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim McNelly <compost@cloudnet.com>
To: Compost List <compost@lyris.cahe.wsu.edu>
Cc: compost@lyris.cahe.wsu.edu <compost@lyris.cahe.wsu.edu>
Date: Sunday, August 22, 1999 6:00 PM
Subject: [compost] Re: treated (CCA) wood?


>At 10:44 PM 08/21/1999 EDT, you wrote:
>>Hi, everyone,
>>
>>A question. What's the current thinking on CCA (copper chromium arsenic)
>>treated wood as a material for use in making compost bins, using as
borders
>>in compost display gardens, for signage, worm bins and for other uses in
>>community, home or school settings? cca is aka 'pressure treated wood'.
>
>Hi Dan,
>
>The question about the safety of treated lumber comes up regularly on
>gardening lists.  On AOL and Prodigy, there are individuals (who I believe
>work for the treated wood industry) who jump into the discussion quickly
>defending treated lumber with the same response over and over which is that
>the lumber does not leach metals and it is safe to use.  If this discussion
>continues on this list, I expect them (like the Men in Black) to show up on
>this list as well.
>
>I have conducted extensive research on arsenic in the environment as a
>result of the widespread use of treated lumber and have come to the
>conclusion that it should be used only by licensed EPA certified pesticide
>applicators and otherwise banned from sale, distribution and use because it
>is being widely misused or disposed of improperly.
>
>The main misuse is due to the product and its waste being burned as scrap.
>The second misuse is the effect of sawdust leaching into the environment,
>which has been linked to fish kills, particularly in goldfish ponds.
>Sawdust from treated lumber is SUPPOSED to be vacuumed and disposed
>whenever it is created, but typically the sawdust is left to decompose in
>the soil.
>
>The next problem is the effect of toxic fumes and ash when a treated deck
>or other application catches fire.  People down-wind are being exposed like
>nuclear fallout to extremely toxic levels of arsenic.
>
>But the biggest problem of all is the fact that while chromated copper
>arsenate delays decay, it does not stop it.  The treated lumber in
>landscaping timbers, decks, fences, retaining walls, etc is gradually
>decaying.  Once fully rotted, which takes 20 to 40 years, it leaves its
>toxic metal residual concentrated in the spot for future generations to
>deal with.
>
>Simply stated, CCA treated wood is over 3,000 parts per million arsenic.
>The EPA limit in biosolids is 78 PPM.  It is also over 1,000 PPM lead and
>the EPA limit in biosolids is 250 PPM.
>
>True, while the wood is intact, these metals are not leaching out.  But the
>wood is not properly washed as it leaves the factory, and toxic levels of
>arsenic and lead are left on the surface to be absorbed by hands, mouths
>and feet until rain washes the surface arsenic into your soil where it is
>absorbed into plants and vegetables.  I would not let my children play on
>any playground equipment made with treated lumber.  Concentrations of
>arsenic in the soil underneath such playground equipment have been tested
>at hundreds of times higher than background levels.
>
>Aside from the surface arsenic, arsenic is released when the wood is cut,
>nicked or burned.  It becomes fully available when the wood finally decays.
> The number one way to ingest arsenic is through skin absorption, and the
>impact of skin exposure is skin cancer.  While skin cancer is linked to
>sunlight exposure, it is no coincidence to me that skin cancer rates are
>increasing at exactly the time and distribution pattern of the use and
>misuse of treated lumber.
>
>I have a full report of twenty four dairy cows dying as a result of eating
>ash from treated fence scraps burned by the farmer.  The State of Minnesota
>came in and spent $200,000 cleaning up the ash, sending it to a hazardous
>waste site.  How many other cases are out there where arsenic ended up in
>the milk as a result of such negligence?
>
>When treated lumber was "de-listed" by the EPA as a hazardous material, the
>animal tests involved feeding treated lumber sawdust to bulldogs.  The
>arsenic passed through their system so quickly, however, that it had little
>effect.  It would have been a different story if they had tested fish.
>Just cut a cube of treated lumber and float it in your fish tank and see
>for yourself how toxic it can be to aquatic life.  It is skin exposure and
>the later cases of skin cancer that is the REAL risk.
>
>Breathing toxic arsenic fumes is also extremely dangerous, leading to
>nausea, neural disorders, depression and kidney problems.  The cases of
>people getting sick from breathing arsenic fumes are quickly hushed up by
>the treated lumber industry.  Every settlement, which averages about
>$750,000, has a "gag order" mandating that the people involved do not talk
>about their arsenic poisoning.  Worst of all is that there are many people
>sick from arsenic fumes who don't even know it.
>
>Arsenic in the air in major cities during the winter as a result of
>improper burning in burn barrels by homeless and construction sites has
>moved ahead of lead as the #1 air pollutant.
>
>The material data sheet regarding treated lumber states that scraps and
>sawdust should be collected and sent to the landfill.  However, no landfill
>except hazardous waste landfills are licensed to receive products with that
>high of a level of arsenic.  Worst of all, most treated lumber ends up in
>un-lined demolition landfills, ready to pollute ground water for centuries
>to come.
>
>You state that you believe that it is illegal for composting and wood mulch
>facilities to receive treated lumber.  This varies from state to state, but
>I know for a fact that they do so every day.  Misguided individuals may be
>concerned about paper and cadmium in inks which are actually very low or
>about residual herbicides or pesticides in yard waste which are destroyed
>by composting, but the REAL biohazard facing the compost and mulch industry
>is arsenic in treated lumber.
>
>There is no doubt in my mind that the clean up of treated lumber will be to
>the 21st century what lead and asbestos was to the 20th.  Not only would I
>not use it in a compost bin, I would remove it from my home if I knew it
>was there.
>
>In my estimation, there are only a very few "safe uses" of treated lumber
>in very wet soils where there is ground exposure.  It should not be used
>for decks, fences or other applications where proper wood sealants and
>cedar can work.  For some ground applications, rock, blocks and plastic
>lumber are better than arsenic in the yard.
>
>As a personal conclusion, I recommend that we do not support the industry,
>which is not a forest product, but a chemical product, until the industry
>regulates itself and the truth about arsenic in treated wood is told to the
>public.  There is more to this issue than whether or not it leaches while
>the wood is intact.  They can start by providing the material data sheet to
>all consumers so that they know a little more about what they are actually
>purchasing.
>
>
>
>Here is the Consumer Information Sheet about pressure treated wood that
>I received from the American Wood Preserver's Association, PO Box 5283,
>Springfield, VA 22150 that is SUPPOSED to be provided to every purchaser
>of CCA, ACA, and ACZA treated wood. This is exactly as it appears
>without editing.
>
>"This wood has been preserved by pressure treatment with an EPA
>registered pesticide containing inorganic arsenic to protect it from
>insect attack and decay. Wood treated with inorganic arsenic should be
>used only where such protection is important. Inorganic arsenic
>penetrates deeply and remains in the pressure treated wood for a long
>time. Exposure to inorganic arsenic may present certain hazards.
>Therefore, the following precautions should be taken when handling the
>treated wood and in determining where to use or dispose of the treated
>wood.
>
>USE SITE PRECAUTIONS
>Wood pressure treated with waterborne arsenical preservatives may be
>used inside residences as long as all sawdust and construction debris
>are cleaned up and disposed after construction. Do not use treated wood
>under circumstances where the preservative may become a component of
>food or animal feed. Examples for such sites would be structures or
>containers for storing silage or food. Do not use treated wood for
>cutting boards or counter tops. Only treated wood that is visibly clean
>and free of surface residue should be used for patios, decks, and
>walkways. Do not use treated wood for construction of beehives that may
>come in contact with honey. Treated wood should not be used where it may
>come into direct or indirect contact with public drinking water, except
>for uses involving incidental contact such as docks and bridges.
>
>HANDLING PRECAUTIONS
>Dispose of treated wood by ordinary trash collection or burial. Treated
>wood should not be burned in open fires or in stoves, fireplaces, or
>residential boilers because toxic chemicals may be produced as a part of
>the smoke and ashes. Treated wood from commercial or industrial use (e.g
>construction sites) may be burned only in commercial or industrial
>incinerators or boilers in accordance with state and federal
>regulations. Avoid frequent or prolonged inhalation of sawdust from
>treated wood. When sawing and machining treated wood, wear a dust mask.
>Whenever possible, these operations should be performed outdoors to
>avoid indoor accumulations of airborne sawdust from treated wood. When
>power sawing and machining, wear goggles to protect eyes from flying
>particles. After working with the wood, and before eating, drinking, and
>use of tobacco products, wash exposed areas thoroughly.
>
>Jim~
>
>
>
>---
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>


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