Treated Lumber Dangers

Treated lumber was patented in 1938, and has been routinely used for home building, fences, decks and play sets. Lumber treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency because it is arsenic based. While products treated with CCA are no longer being manufactured in the United States, there is plenty of CCA-treated lumber still in existence in homes, parks, utility poles and businesses.

Sawdust

• If you must cut treated lumber, wear protection.

  Sawdust from treated lumber can irritate your nose, eyes and skin. Symptoms of exposure to treated lumber sawdust include nose bleeds, itchy skin, stomach aches, memory alteration, and a heavy feeling in the chest. If you must cut CCA-treated lumber, make sure that you wear a dust mask and eye protection and cover up your skin with long sleeves and work gloves.

Fire

• Burning treated lumber concentrates arsenic in the ashes.

  Avoid burning CCA-treated lumber. According to government studies, smoke from burned CCA-treated lumber doesn't appear to be any more harmful than regular smoke, but the ash from CCA-treated lumber is especially toxic. Arsenic does not burn off, so it concentrates in the ash. Inhaling this ash can seriously irritate your respiratory tract. Also, do not use ash from burned treated lumber to add to soil or compost. Arsenic should never be anywhere near food.

Runoff

• CCA-treated decks can cause arsenic contamination to soil and water.

  Environmental engineering professors at the University of Miami performed a study in which rainwater runoff was tested on two different decks. One deck was made of CCA-treated lumber, and the other was made from untreated lumber. The arsenic contamination running off the CCA-treated deck was 100 times higher than the arsenic contamination of the water from the untreated deck. In addition, the sand beneath the CCA-treated deck had arsenic levels that were 15 to 30 times higher than background levels. This arsenic-contaminated water runs into water supplies and contaminates soil.

Food Preparation

• Never use cutting boards made from pressure-treated wood.

  Contact between food and pressure-treated wood should be avoided because exposure of food to arsenic can lead to poisoning. Don't use cutting boards or counter tops that are made of pressure-treated wood. When using picnic tables in public places, cover the tabletop with a table cloth before placing food on it.