CCA News & Information Articles

Landowner given more time to screen yard 12-22-2004 Hi Everybody, If I wasn’t so busy I would have fainted when I read this one. They are letting this guy fence in what they believe could be a hazardous waste property. They know he is burning treated wood and still think this guy is doing the community a service. Don’t people get any training in their job there. Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah Assessing and managing exposure from arsenic in CCA-treated wood play structures 12-01-2004 Can J Public Health. 2004 Nov-Dec;95(6):429-33. Ursitti F, Vanderlinden L, Watson R, Campbell M. Toronto Public Health - Health Promotion and Environmental Protection Office, Community & Neighbourhood Services, City of Toronto, Toronto, ON. fursitti@toronto.ca Playground wood often treated with deadly chemical The wooden playground overlooking Ridge Elementary School in Ridgewood, N.J., has turrets and passageways, swings and slides, and other diversions for pint-sized princesses and knights-for-a-day. It also, most likely, has arsenic. With spring weather drawing people outdoors, the chemical, a carcinogen, is presenting families with a new worry: Are decks, swing sets, playgrounds, and picnic tables hazardous to children's health? The Environmental Protection Agency, in a preliminary report issued last fall, warned that children regularly exposed to pressure-treated wood have a greater chance of cancer due to the arsenic-based preservative in the wood. A final study isn't due until this winter, but the initial report put the risk at 10 times the agency's usual limit for toxic chemicals. Two possible pathways for the release of arsenic during pyrolysis of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood. 09-10-2004 - PUB MED The behavior of arsenic during pyrolysis at temperatures between 135 and 500 degrees C has been widely studied. Arsenic on the hands of children after playing in playgrounds. 10-01-2004 - pub med Hi Everybody, Upon reading this study I was a little startled to say the least. My concern is not for the amount of arsenic only on the children’s hands when they have been placing on cca structures. I would like to know how many times they touched their eyes, nose and mouth and actually ingested arsenic. I would like to see how much arsenic was on their hands from the original contact, remove them and test again and see how much was there later and how much had been absorbed. I would like to know if all forms of arsenic were being identified as trivalent is far more trans-dermal than pentavalent arsenic. I would like to know if any factors were present that might cause the children to breath in arsenic. Like sand grating from shoes on the wood or acid rain causing off-gassing or even perhaps mold doing the same. Have their clothes and shoes been checked? Are they carrying it home? But actually folks I would not test a real child at all with arsenic. I think we know better than that. If we want to test children, how about we make toe nail testing a part of a yearly physical examine and see which children have the higher arsenic tests and why. Then let’s not stop there. How about we also test them for lead and other heavy metals and start preventing some problems and finding the sources of our children’s health problems. But let’s play fair and not run tests we know won’t show the real problem, like blood arsenic tests. Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah Increasing concerns over the use of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in playground structures arise from potential exposure to arsenic of children playing in these playgrounds. Pressure treating of wood is questioned 11-10-2004 This year's change in the composition of pressure-treated lumber is raising concerns about more rapid corrosion in the metal brackets and fasteners used to connect the wood in foundations, decks and other outdoor structures. Bio Energy used tainted wood in '95 10-21-2004 "Some of the stuff is arsenic-treated wood and asbestos," said Ron Lajoie, president of a community organization opposing the plant. Tests Confirm Toxins In Beach Fire Rings 07-02-2004 Health officials in Santa Cruz confirmed Tuesday that high levels of arsenic, copper and chromium have been found at Twin Lakes Beach. Toxic levels of the substances were found at two fire ring sites. At one site, tests showed levels about 70,000 parts per million. At the other site, the test measured 20,000 parts per million. Beach Fire Rings Tested For Toxic Metals 07-02-2004 Testing was started Friday at several beach and campground sites with fire rings in Santa Cruz County for arsenic, chromium and other metals. In all, five beach sites and two campground sites were tested by the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District. A citizens group -- Friends of the Harbor -- did its own testing in May and said it discovered high levels of arsenic next to a fire ring on Twin Lakes Beach. That caught the attention of state and local officials. Hidden Danger In The Backyard (video at link) 07-02-2004 Most adults don't notice immediate symptoms, but they're not the most at-risk group. Small children are. (CBS) Jammie Horseman's in a protective suit ripping up a new wooden deck he built himself because he now knows what's inside all the pressure-treated wood: arsenic, a poison and known carcinogen. Sucking up the seepage 06-03-2004 The plant smells like burgers on the barbecue, which is funny because what's actually cooking is bentonite, 1.2 million pounds of bentonite. Aqua Technologies of Wyoming Inc., a Casper firm, is making its biggest sale ever of modified bentonite, also called activated clay, or ET-1, that sucks up hydrocarbons while letting water run off. Bushels of the stuff in white bags emblazoned with the "Steamboat and Rider" Wyoming symbol are bound for a site in Portland, Ore., where toxic contaminants are ruining the water. Putnam Lumber makes inroads into China 05-31-2004 Hi Everybody, I am offering you the link and my comments. Putnam Lumber makes inroads into China http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2004/05/31/story2.html Here is a disturbing quote from it. "There are too many liabilities," said Blanton, adding that setting up the plant in this country would likely have cost about $2 million because of a multitude of environmental regulations and higher costs. "We definitely wouldn't have a pressure-treated lumber plant in the United States." It is very sad knowing what we do about the legacy of treatment plants that face these regulations to think what is very likely to happen in China where no such laws are in place. Another quote on the huge market is alarming. “We're seeing a growing market for pressure-treated lumber in China," said Reese Blanton, Putnam's marketing manager. Blanton attributes much of that rising demand to "one of the fastest emerging middle classes" in the world. Even if only 20 percent of China's 1.3 billion people are able to afford a home, that's still about as many people as there are in the United States, notes Jim Valenti, founder and CEO of World Trade Group, a Jacksonville-based consulting group that specializes in helping companies such as Putnam Lumber do business in China. It's not merely the sheer size of China's population that makes it a ripe market for Putnam, but also the newness of a consumer-driven economy that has only recently opened the door to home ownership. "It's the fastest-growing housing market in the world," Valenti said, "growing at an annual rate of 35 percent for the last four years." It wasn't so much that homeownership was prohibited as much as it was unavailable in a state-managed economy, Valenti said, resulting in "a lot of pent-up capital to buy homes." The location is another concern “Putnam has set up the Changchun New Sunlight Wooden Preservation Co. with a lumber pressure treatment plant in Changchun, a city of about 7 million people about 530 miles northeast of Beijing. The plant is set up to treat and further cut the wood to meet customers' needs.” While we in many countries are struggling with pollution and waste from treated lumber one must question the wisdom of this move. While arsenic is not mentioned in this article one must question what treated lumber is about to be produced seeing China is one of the leading suppliers of arsenic to a market that has considerably dried up. Dr.Dieter Riedel of Health Canada gave these warnings in his Health Canada bulletin “Issues” in 1991. “However, the wood preservative chemicals arc toxic, and therefore these chemicals and the treated wood must be handled and used carefully to avoid ill effects on the environment, on animals, or on people” “ Reports in the medical literature show that high exposures hazardous to health may occur when treated wood is burned or ground, or when wood preservatives or treated wood are used in the interior of dwellings. The preservative chemicals can he absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, and through the skin.” “Health effects On rare occasions, toxic effects of wood preservatives and of pressure-treated wood have been observed both in domestic animals and in people. The effects have ranged from slight illnesses to deaths. Accidental illnesses or deaths were usually traced to improper or careless use of the preservative chemicals or of preservative-treated wood in the workplace or in the home” Let’s hope the Chinese get to read about our history before it becomes theirs. Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah Glacier Homeowners move toward mediation in their suit against HUD 04-28-2004 "The U.S. government knows the homes are dangerous because the EPA has banned the boards they're made of, and the tribal government knows the homes are dangerous," said Martin Marceau Friday about the ongoing lawsuit he, Mary Jane Grant and Gary Grant are pursuing against HUD on behalf of some 153 homeowners who are saddled with foundations made of chemically treated wood. "Keeping us in these homes is a form of genocide," stated Marceau. HAMLIN PARK PLAYGROUND COMES DOWN 04-28-2004 Village and town crews began dismantling the Hamlin Outdoor Playground Monday morning in preparation for a new play area donated by East Aurora based Fisher-Price Toys. "We hope to have the area ready by Friday," Town of Aurora Highway Superintendent Dennis W. Nourse told the Town Board Monday night. Town Supervisor Terence M. Yarnall praised the village and town crews for their collaborative efforts in dismantling the playground. Notice of Availability of the Preliminary Risk Assessment for Wood Preservatives Containing Arsenic and/or Chromium Reregistration Eligibility Decision 04-17-2004 [Federal Register: March 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 52)] [Notices] [Page 12653-12655] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17mr04-64] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [OPP-2003-0250; FRL-7318-5] Notice of Availability of the Preliminary Risk Assessment for Wood Preservatives Containing Arsenic and/or Chromium Reregistration Eligibility Decision AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. In-water cap to be installed at Superfund site 04-16-2004 The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has signed a contract with Remtech Inc. to construct an in-river sediment cap at a contaminated site on the Willamette River in North Portland. The project, scheduled to take place this summer, is the latest phase in a series of cleanup efforts designed to prevent harmful contaminants from migrating from the McCormick & Baxter site and entering the river. In-water cap to be installed at Superfund site 04-16-2004 The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has signed a contract with Remtech Inc. to construct an in-river sediment cap at a contaminated site on the Willamette River in North Portland. Search Warrant Served on Neighboring Dump Site 04-06-2004 State environmental agents, backed up by Lincoln County deputies, served a search warrant Tuesday afternoon on a controversial waste disposal site just across the Clark County line. Arch Wood Protection, Inc. Announces That Federal Court Rejects Class Action Status For CCA-Treated Wood Lawsuit 04-02-2004 The United States District Court in Western Louisiana has denied class action status to a lawsuit challenging the safety of wood treated with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA). LATE LESSONS FROM PRESSURE-TREATED WOOD - Pt. 2 02-19-2004 - RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH NEWS #785 by Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D.* EPA and Beyond Pesticides Ask Court to Proceed on Wood Preservatives 02-18-2004 EPA and Beyond Pesticides Ask Court to Proceed on Wood Preservatives (Beyond Pesticides, February 18, 2004) On February 12, EPA and Beyond Pesticides filed a joint motion in U.S. District Court, Washington, DC, asking the court to schedule a hearing and briefing timetable on Beyond Pesticides' claim that EPA has "unreasonably delayed" in its review and action on wood preservatives. The agreed-upon motion sets a schedule for production of documents and briefs running through October 13, 2004. On January 29, 2004, District Court Judge Richard Leon threw out most of the case filed by Beyond Pesticides, the Communication Workers of America, Center for Environmental Health, and Joseph and Rosanne Prager, which asked the court to find EPA in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) because of its failure to cancel the highly toxic (heavy duty) wood preservatives pentachlorophenol, chromated copper arsenate, and creosote. At that time, the Judge found in his opinion memorandum that plaintiffs did not have a right to sue, but granted EPA's motion for partial dismissal, in which EPA acknowledges that the agency can be challenged for "unreasonable delay" under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). EPA does not concur that it has delayed, but affirms the right of plaintiffs to sue on the matter. The case, Beyond Pesticides et al. v. EPA (Case No. 02-2419), was filed on December 10, 2002. Central to the case is a request from the court for a declaratory judgment that EPA has unreasonably delayed in completing its regulatory actions on the three heavy duty wood preservatives which were initiated in 1978, and in responding to Beyond Pesticides' petitions to cancel and suspend their registrations. The wood preservative chemicals in question contain arsenic, dioxins, hexachlorobenzene, furans and other deadly compounds, cause cancer and neurological effects, and as a group account for the largest volume of pesticide use on an annual basis. While EPA and Beyond Pesticides agree that the case may proceed on the question of "unreasonable delay," the parties, according to the documents filed, "have not agreed on the contours of the Plaintiffs' remaining claim after the grant of EPA's partial motion to dismiss, or what the record relevant to that claim is." In agreeing to the timetable, the plaintiffs reserve the right to "make any legal argument in the briefing on the merits" and appeal the January 28 decision that dismissed the other counts alleging violations of the FIFRA. According to Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, "While we feel that the court is wrong on the matter of EPA's failure to protect the public by removing the heavy duty wood preservatives from the market, at the very least, EPA should be held to a timetable for decision making." "The agency has dragged out its review and re-review of the wood preservatives for almost three decades, as people and the environment suffer harm," he said. TAKE ACTION: If you are concerned about the Bush Administration's lack of attention to the wood preservative issue, please contact Mr. Micheal Leavitt, EPA Administrator, by email, phone: 202-564-4711, or fax: 202-501-1470. Also contact your Members of Congress. When writing your Members of Congress, please also ask them to contact President Bush and EPA Administrator Micheal Leavitt about this important issue. See Beyond Pesticides' wood preservatives page for local action and organizing kit. http://www.beyondpesticides.org/main.html LATE LESSONS FROM PRESSURE-TREATED WOOD - Pt. 1 02-12-2004 - RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH NEWS #784 by Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D.* Juken Nissho Winner Of Roger Award For Worst Corp 02-20-2004 To quote the Judges' Report, Juken Nissho is "a company which operates wood processing plants in Kaitaia, Masterton and Gisborne and creates work for more than 1,000 New Zealanders. The reasons for the Award are JN's horrifying safety record in its plants and its arrogant disregard for the welfare of the Kaitaia community with the emissions from its triboard plant in the town". The judges called for a public inquiry into both aspects - health and safety, and pollution by its Kaitaia mill. Dewar man blames arsenic for mysterious illness When a neighbor needed a handicapped accessible entryway, Creston Van Wey worked through the rain. He knew he should take caution with the pressure treated lumber, so he wore gloves. But the 1-by-3-inch red and white warning tag stapled to the wood slipped by unnoticed. DEP tests confirm high levels of arsenic in mulch. In results from a primate study conducted by DEP, the study found that 30 percent of arsenic is retained in the body, said Fitzsimmons Models help estimate children's exposure to toxins 02-16-2004 Danger on Deck? 01-31-2004 - From Science News, Vol. 165, No. 5, For 3 decades, builders of outdoor decks, arbors, swing sets, and other unpainted structures have relied almost exclusively on the greenish wood known as pressure-treated lumber. Annual sales of some 7 billion board feet of this wood created a U.S. industry worth $4 billion per year. What makes the lumber so useful is what the pressure treatment forced into it: a toxic cocktail of arsenic and other pesticides that deters termites, other insects, fungi, and microbes. Confusing phaseout 01-24-2004 t's been three weeks since a federal phaseout officially ended production of arsenic-treated wood for residential use. For the first time, wood produced for backyard play sets, porches and fences will be free of a preservative considered by some to be a cancer risk to children. Federal judge dismisses complaints about Blackfeet housing A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking repair or replacement of 203 houses on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation that residents claim made them sick. An appeal is expected. Trading Toxins: 01-21-2004 Trading Toxins: EPA Demands More Study Of Proposed Wood Preservative 21 JAN 2004 | Former Senator Bob Dole met with White House officials to lobby for EPA approval of a wood preservative to replace copper chromated arsenic, the carcinogenic chemical in pressure-treated lumber that the agency forced off the market as of January 1. But the proposed substitute contains hexavalent chromium, the cancer-causing compound of Erin Brockovich fame. EPA has withheld approval, citing lack of basic health and safety studies. * EPA letter demands more studies http://www.ewg.org/ Arsenic found in wells near Koppers 01-14-2004 Arsenic has been found in two monitoring wells near the polluted Cabot Carbon-Koppers site, raising a red flag that contamination there could be worse than first projected. Wood's toxic edge ends the 'green' era 01-02-2004 - Star-Ledger "People should have been switching all along," said Patrick Nosker, a chemical engineering professor at Rutgers University. "We have been putting poisons in this wood, and that obviously is not a good idea." BY JOHN MOONEY letter to editor re:Arsenic ban to hit homeowners' wallets 01-01-2004 Hi, The dock builder in your story seems to fail to recognize that an arsenic blood test is rarely of use in arsenic poisoning. Arsenic taken in is 3/4 removed from the body in anywhere from a few hours to a few days. A urine test would be a little better but really only useful under acute poisoning or after having a chelating treatment to pull accumulated metals. The 1/4 of each dose the builder would take in and store in his body from every time he worked unprotected with the wood are building in his bones, brain and tissue. That will not be reflected in any normal test. His decision to stockpile this wood and put his customers at risk when he has obviously no idea how to tell if even he is contaminated shows dangerous judgement at best. Advice about arsenic poisoning should be given by those who know what they are talking about and I certainly hope you take the time to warn the readers that have just been given a false sense of security by a man who actually profits from the sale of a dangerous product. Take care and please keep safe. Deborah No More Arsenic Treated Wood 01-01-2004 - (WROC-TV) So, everything that's already been treated will still have the arsenic in it. People need to be aware that it's out there." Safety problems force removal of play structures 10-20-2004 OLYMPIA -- Play structures at two parks will be removed this month because they're not as safe as national experts say they should be. At Harry Fain Park in the southeast part of town and Bigelow Park in the northeast, city inspectors found spaces where children could get their heads trapped and areas underneath the toys where there isn't enough padding to keep falling children from being injured. The wood has been treated with a chemical that is no longer considered safe, and some posts at Bigelow are rotting underground. Arsenic and Old Stakes 10-10-2004 Too dangerous to burn or bury, treated wooden grape stakes sit in piles of thousands. They're a symbol of hard times that can't be erased. Nassau Outlaws Arsenic Treated Wood 09-28-2004 (1010 WINS) MINEOLA, Long Island The Nassau County Legislature has passed a local law to ban the sale and use of arsenic-treated wood for residential use. Legislator David Mejias proposed the law. He at first wanted to ban the wood completely in the county, but changed his proposal to ban the chromated arsenic treated wood in residential use only. It could still be used in commercial construction. Australia:NATIONAL HAZARD ALERT & BAN 10-19-2004 The AWU bans certain methods of usage of construction materials treated with copper chrome arsenate as from today. This type of timber has been found in numerous circumstances (e.g. extended handling, task producing dust) capable of releasing arsenic and therefore exposing workers to unacceptable risks. Innov-X Responds to CCA-Treated Wood Pollution 09-24-2004 /PRNewswire/ -- Don Sackett, Innov-X Systems President, offers a solution to the challenging health threats posed by Arsenic-treated Wood which has been used for decades in outdoor playground swings, structures, decks, and furniture Effect of simulated rainfall and weathering on release of preservative elements from CCA treated wood. 10-19-2004 The release of arsenic from wood pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) can be decreased by application of wood finishes, but little is known about the types of finishes that are best suited for this purpose. Arsenic in a Child's World 10-19-2004 Hi Everybody, Here is a case study on a child poisoned from arsenic . A link at the bottom will take you to where you can get a free subscription to medscape and read the whole article. Thank you to a parent who knows all about a child suffering from arsenic poisoning for alerting me to this article. Please pass it on to schools, daycares, emergency rooms, doctors and on and on. Take care and please keep safe. Deborah Arsenic in a Child's World Posted 08/18/2004 Ann Pike-Paris, MS, RN Abstract and Introduction Abstract Ten-year-old Tim P. presented at a local emergency room complaining of bloody diarrhea. Despite treatment, his diarrhea continued with additional symptoms of nausea, raspy voice, headaches, abdominal pain, tingling of the feet and hands, lethargy, and eczema. Do you recognize the health risks and clinical aspects of arsenic, and could you assist Tim and his family? Introduction Environmental exposure in our children's world to known and unknown toxins is an evolving area of concern and research. Over the past several years the heavy metal arsenic (As) has been found in high concentrations in ground and surface water supplies and soil. If you have a deck, a large wooden playground structure, or you frequent water resources recreationally and use a dock, perhaps you have also become aware of arsenic's unwanted presence in the wood. Pressure treated wood, referred to as CCA (copper chromium arsenate) and once commonly used in multiple applications, is recognized as a primary source of arsenic. Use the case study below to familiarize yourself with the clinical aspects of arsenic, the self-assessment questions to explore your knowledge, the information provided to increase it, and the resources listed to guide you to more expert help. Full case at link Bio Energy used tainted wood in '95 10-21-2004 "Some of the stuff is arsenic-treated wood and asbestos," said Ron Lajoie, president of a community organization opposing the plant. Arsenic on the hands of children after playing in playgrounds. 10-01-2004 - pub med Hi Everybody, Upon reading this study I was a little startled to say the least. My concern is not for the amount of arsenic only on the children’s hands when they have been placing on cca structures. I would like to know how many times they touched their eyes, nose and mouth and actually ingested arsenic. I would like to see how much arsenic was on their hands from the original contact, remove them and test again and see how much was there later and how much had been absorbed. I would like to know if all forms of arsenic were being identified as trivalent is far more trans-dermal than pentavalent arsenic. I would like to know if any factors were present that might cause the children to breath in arsenic. Like sand grating from shoes on the wood or acid rain causing off-gassing or even perhaps mold doing the same. Have their clothes and shoes been checked? Are they carrying it home? But actually folks I would not test a real child at all with arsenic. I think we know better than that. If we want to test children, how about we make toe nail testing a part of a yearly physical examine and see which children have the higher arsenic tests and why. Then let’s not stop there. How about we also test them for lead and other heavy metals and start preventing some problems and finding the sources of our children’s health problems. But let’s play fair and not run tests we know won’t show the real problem, like blood arsenic tests. Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah Increasing concerns over the use of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in playground structures arise from potential exposure to arsenic of children playing in these playgrounds.