CCA News & Information Articles

Medics honored for saving Bowie man's life 12-11-2008 Please note this is a treated wood story not a cca wood story but all treated woods contain chemicals that can be absorbed and breathed in during construction and cleaning etc. deborah Gary Reeley knows he began the morning of July 30 building a deck in Lanham with an irritating knot in his throat but only paramedics Stephen Chagnon and Christopher Harrison can fill in the rest of the story of how the knot not only closed the Bowie carpenter's throat but nearly took his life. County Fire Chief Lawrence H. Sedgwick gave the men a county Fire and EMS Department Emergency Services Award Tuesday at the Landover Hills Fire and EMS Department for saving Reeley's life. At the time, Harrison had just begun administering advanced life support services Environmental cleanup plan for A. C. Dutton Lumber Yard site up for public comment 11-14-2008 POUGHKEEPSIE – The state Department of Environmental Conservation wants public comment on its proposed remedy to address contamination at the former A.C. Dutton Lumber Yard site at 2 Hoffman Street in the City and Town of Poughkeepsie. The site, which has been used for a number of industrial operations, most recently as a pressure treated lumber production facility, is known to have extensive areas contaminated with arsenic, chromium and petroleum. Once remediated, future development of the site is mixed residential and commercial so the DEC says the more stringent soil cleanup objectives have been selected. Arsenic found in Lahore’s water 11-14-2008 - Gulf Times Arsenic and fluoride contamination pose a growing threat to public health in the city, according to research undertaken by Dr Prof Kausar Jamal Cheema, head of the Environmental Science and Zoology Departments at Lahore College for Women University (LCWU). Commenting on the findings of a survey of 650 tubewells in nine areas of Lahore, Dr Cheema said yesterday that for too long arsenic and fluoride contamination of the city’s water supply had been dismissed as a natural phenomenon because of the area’s geology. Your Place: Pressure-treated wood and aluminum don't mix 11-14-2008 Hey Everybody, It is so nice to see articles warning on the improper uses of ACQ treated wood but there are so many who still do not seem to understand the dangers of aluminum and zinc in contact with cca wood. Here is my comment to the paper. Take care everybody and please keep safe. deborah Renewable energy to replace current steam plant 11-12-2008 They will not be burning treated wood, thankfully. Open-air trash burning in Iraq a hot issue 11-07-2008 Of particular concern are the large volume of plastic water bottles that make their way to the burn pit, as well as metals and chemically-treated wood products. Though the military says trash taken to the Balad pit is sorted before it is burned, visits to the pit earlier this year revealed closed trash bags being thrown in the pit and partly burned metal drums and aerosol cans among the rubble. America is poisoning its children 09-08-2008 The following quote is from page 47 of "The Hundred Year Lie," published in 2006: "Play areas: Pressure treated wood used on outdoor decks, picnic tables and playground equipment contains high levels of arsenic ... a 12-foot section of pressure treated lumber contains about an ounce of arsenic, enough to poison to death 250 people. This wood is also injected with preservatives and toxins to prevent bug infestations. As children play on the surfaces of treated wood, the toxic chemicals stick to their hands and can be ingested when they put their hands in their mouths." Scenic route: Still under construction, pathway meanders through Portage Valley 09-03-2008 ah some good news, no treated wood on nature trail. * note as children and pets spent a lot of time investigating nature trails it is wonderful to see such a decision made to keep them safe. deborah NSP eyes biomass waste as energy source 08-15-2008 - nova scotia I sent this letter to every member of the Nova Scotia government and to Halifax city councilors Hey Everybody, If I said this article concerned me, that would be downplaying my thoughts very much. There is no filter small enough to capture the tiny particles of arsine that are released in a very breathable form when cca treated wood is burned. I have already had one “conversation” with a biomass company who told me they decided not to go with treated wood after learning some facts. One needs to realize as cca wood is being pulled from it’s inuse service there is a urgency to deal with a waste problem that is of such a magnitude that people are scrambling for ideas to deal with a toxic dilemma probably never faced before. We need to be very careful and not give in to solutions that are even more toxic. I have placed beneath this news item a study done by the USEPA on what happens with the open burning of cca treated wood. This was done after I sent them the extremely toxic house tests on my home. This is from one man burning near my home and one test burn in a study. Try to compare that with the magnitude of what could happen here. Yes there will be safety measures in place but let me remind you THERE IS NO FILTER THAT CAN CAPTURE THE TINY PARTICLES OF ARSENIC WHEN IT IS BURNED. This is not even taking into consideration the ash which presents another very serious threat. When I spoke to the other company who was thinking about burning treated wood as a biomass fuel they did not even attempt to say they had a solution. They said they would not do it. Does this company have a solution to capture the arsenic that will surely contaminate the environment and poison people if they don’t? If they do, then please explain it because we are all waiting for someone to solve this crisis without making another of more catastrophic proportions. Take care and please keep safe. Deborah Are you eating arsenic with your picnic? 08-15-2008 My Comments sent in I am bit surprised that people think this is fearmongering. Having worked on this issue and having helped bring in bans and phase-outs in well over 30 countries I know it is not. I have arsenic poisoning. There is enough inorganic arsenic in one 2x6x12 to kill 250 people and it’s leaching. You may just get a sick stomach, feel like you have the flu or too much sun after taking it in. You aren’t even likely to think of the park bench you ate on. You may feel nothing. Arsenic accumulates in your body. About ¼ of every dose you take in will remain in your brain bones and tissue. Someday you may have an arsenic induced stroke, heart attack, cancer, diabetes, or any number of diseases. Maybe you will be fine but do you really want to risk that for yourself or your children. Add to that exposure every deck, boardwalk, fence or other structure you have touched. Yes, it is transdermal. If you have had contact get a toenail test and make sure. No, blood and urine do not show accumulated amounts and please don’t listen to those making money selling you poison. They have every reason to cry, fearmongering. Deborah Elaine Barrie Compost can be solution for many garden problems 05-22-2008 Hey Everybody, Here are my comments posted to the paper on this article. “A composter should never be made from any type of treated wood. The compost will pull the metals from the wood and could poison you. Check out the EPA or my website for details on treated wood. The reactions between different treated woods and metals can be dangerous also.’ Take care and keep safe. Deborah Couple hopeful after Hamilton nuisance payout 05-10-2008 An Amherstburg couple is rejoicing after hearing a Hamilton judge has ordered a couple to pay their next-door neighbours $270,000 for the nuisance caused by smoke from their wood stove. DEC Proposes Rule Change To Eliminate Open Burning 05-07-2008 In an effort to reduce the impacts of pollutants such as dioxins, particulate matter and carbon monoxide and to limit the risks of wildfires, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is proposing to extend the ban on open burning statewide. Open burning of residential wastes in any city or village, or in any town with a population of 20,000 or more has been prohibited since 1972. Helicopter to lift tainted debris from beaches 04-23-2008 While this article is on creosote, I am aware that cca treated wood has been removed there also. By Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News PORT TOWNSEND — In a second drive to clean up toxic creosote-tainted wood pilings and debris along Jefferson County's shores, state Department of Natural Resources officials are attacking the marine threat with volunteer hands and a helicopter to airlift it out. Work this week focuses on debris at Fort Worden and Fort Flagler state parks, said Lisa Kaufman, Resources restoration manager of the Orca Straits District Northwest Region. Explaining that pilings removal would not resume until July 15 when the salmon migration window closes, Kaufman said an estimated 1,139 cubic feet and 18.2 tons of treated material would be removed at Fort Worden. At Fort Flagler, an estimated 1,153 cubic feet or 20 tons of treated material would be pulled, totaling 36.6 tons for both parks. Chasing the organic dream: its back to the old ways for Chase Farms 04-18-2008 Chase Farms also continues its greenhouse business, growing transplant flowers, vegetables and herbs under conventional (using pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers ) farming methods. Mr. Chase said he could not have his greenhouse crops certified as organic because the buildings are made of pressure-treated wood. He added that he knows of farmers who failed at growing organic crops in greenhouses. Caution needed when using pressure-treated wood 04-21-2008 Caution needed when using pressure-treated wood Steve Maxwell Citizen Special Saturday, April 19, 2008 Arsenic isn't an element that enjoys a good public relations image. That's why the American and Canadian lumber industries voluntarily halted consumer sales of all pressure-treated wood containing arsenic-bearing chemicals four years ago. Trouble is, the new, arsenic-free, pressure-treated lumber also presents hidden hazards that too few people realize. If you're planning to build an outdoor project this spring, you need to understand crucial details for your work to endure. And don't assume that every builder understands the seriousness of this issue. Wiltshire recycling on the up 04-21-2008 Hey Everybody, If you ever thought treated wood wasn’t a huge waste issue read this piece’s stats on the waste from just one county in the UK. Take care and please keep safe. deborah Go green at home and protect the family from harmful chemicals 04-17-2008 Hey Everybody It is always nice to see a warning about treated wood on the list. Take care and keep safe. deborah A'burg neighbours get legal order to stop man's wood burning 04-15-2008 - The Windsor Star Hey Everybody, I have an update for you on the below story. Shirley Brandie and I are fast becoming good friends and I would like to introduce you to her website where she has kept an excellent log of the containation her family has suffered along with the pictures of what her neighbor has been burning. Very similar to my families story. http://woodburnersmoke.net So please check it out. If you have any data to back her case then please contact her at s.brandie@sympatico.ca Please remember her family in your thoughts and prayers Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah by Sarah Sacheli AMHERSTBURG -- Salvatore DeSantis has a barn filled to the rafters with firewood, but an injunction obtained by his neighbours prevents him from burning it at his Amherstburg home. DeSantis, 73, has a wood-burning stove and a large, brick wood-burning oven in a greenhouse-like addition off the back of his Simcoe Street house. "I enjoy it," he said, referring to his ritual of throwing a log into the stove and taking a nap on the couch nearby Chromated Copper Arsenate Revised Risk Assessments; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Risk Reduction Options 04-17-2008 Hey Everybody, I will be submitting to this risk assessment including the testing done on my home and the report that I am currently working on showing how metals from exposure are missed during our our present testing methods, even very serious poisonings. This will be my third submission during reviews on this subject and they are available at my website, www. noccawood. ca. Even though the phase out is in in Canada and the USA reports of continued use, the burning of this arsenic treated wood, waste problems, removal of existing structures and some of it's limited uses still need to be addressed. I hope that some of you will write and express your concerns on these areas. I am available to assist with documentation. Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah Children Playing With Poison: Arsenic Exposure From CCA-treated Wood 04-24-2008 Children Playing With Poison: Arsenic Exposure From CCA-treated Wood 04/14/2008 Deborah L. Baptist,RN, BSN; Nan S Leslie, PhD,RN,WHNP Journal for Nurse Practitioners http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/570852?src=mp&spon=42&uac=35893ER Children Playing With Poison: Arsenic Exposure From CCA-treated Wood Deborah L. Baptist,RN, BSN; Nan S Leslie, PhD,RN,WHNP Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 2008;4(1):48-53. ©2008 Elsevier Science, Inc. Posted 04/14/2008 Abstract and Introduction Abstract The world of children can involve exposure to many hazards, including toxic chemicals found in the environment. Arsenic is one of those chemicals. Sources of such exposure include food, soil, water, and air. However, touching chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wooden structures or the soil surrounding them and then putting a finger in the mouth can raise a child's risk of arsenic poisoning. Nurse practitioners who provide routine care for children are in a position to assess their young patients for arsenic exposure and to initiate prevention strategies to protect children from exposure to this toxin. If the nurse practitioner suspects arsenic exposure or poisoning, she or he should contact the National Poison Control Directory or consult the web page for state-by-state poison control centers to determine a plan for treatment or referral. Introduction The complete article can be found by registering at the link for a free account. Take care and please keep safe. deborah Texas Jury deliberates in cancer suit 02-07-2008 Jurors resumed deliberations Thursday in a lawsuit against BNSF Railway Co. alleging chemicals at a Southeast Texas railroad tie plant caused a woman's stomach cancer. Linda Faust never worked at the Somerville plant but believes she got cancer after nearly two decades of washing her husband's clothes and boots covered with coal-tar creosote, used to treat railroad ties to withstand weather and termites for up to 30 years. After her 1998 diagnosis, doctors removed her stomach, and now food moves directly to her intestines.