I’ve heard that arsenic was used in pressure treated lumber. Is that still used or is it now passe? Thanks.
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It's (CCA) supposed to have been phased out a few years ago, except for underwater use. Some guys say they can still find it. The new treatments almost require SS fasteners and isolation.
Lots of interesting threads on this.
Forrest
Interesting. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I've heard that arsenic was used in pressure treated lumber.
Yes, arsenic was the "A" part in the "CCA" description of the "old" PT lumber. I think it's been about five years now that the industry switched over to the "new" PT. As such, you're not likely to find any CCA in a supply yard, but there's a very good chance of encountering it in an existing application.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Helpful.
How helpful the information is depends on your reason for asking. If you could say what that reason is, I am sure you will find even more far more useful information. in most all cases, there is no reason tobe concerned about its existence, unless you plan to eat it or burn it to sniff the fumes. Other than that, or possibly acid leaching it our from using it near manure piles or milling it with a duyll blade to heat it up before eating the sawdust, there is no way for it be harmful. In the compound form that is used in the old CCA, is it inert and safe.
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Yup...hasn't aff, aff, aff, affected me at alllll.
If we're gonna talk personal experiences, I have had more problems using ACQ than the CCA ever gave me.
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Sweat rash was my main beef withACQ. Lucky, I been away from it for a long spell.
I guess you could call it that. Lotsa red rash on thighs and tiny red risings
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I was in a university wood science lab not long ago....well regarded unit. They were pretty scathing about 'new' versus 'old'.....the new is no safer than the old, at all (and the old, as you guys are pointing out, wasn't dangerous in most situations), and the new stuff won't hold up as well (that's what I see in the few projects I've done with it). That's not the perception though.Cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Absolutely. The changeover was one of the most insane things I have seen since I've been building
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The main trigger for pulling the CCA seemed to be several findings that on some playground structures built with CCA that there was sufficient arsenic on the surface of the structures that it was felt to endanger children playing on the equipment if they put their fingers in their mouths - as children tend to do. The arsenic from CCA would also end up in ground if the treated wood deteriorated as well as if it was burned. I have seen nothing on potential toxicity of the ACQ, although I haven't really looked for it. There are reportedly some other treatments available or in the works for ACQ, but I haven't heard much about them. If you have any references to ACQ toxicity, I would appreciate them. Thanks
The main trigger was threats of continual lawsuits in the face of evidence found by govt agency studies that there was no risk. Thge industry decided it was not worth the cost of continued defense in court for a percieved, but unproven threat.Yes if kids ate the stuff, it was not good fo rthem, so why not just forbid using it in those aplications. Meanwhile we could have continued safely building porches and stairs and setting sills in locations where children ccannot chew on the produt.If you have any evidence ( not speulation, but hard evidence) that CCA residue allowed free arsenic to be taken up by children into their systems, please share it. Fourty some years on the market and nobody suffered from it. Arsenic exists naturally in the soil in many placces.
If you eat apple seeds, they contain arsenicc. (yes I do, and watermellon seeds and sunflower seeds, and almonds, and apricot pits)But I am unaware of copper occouring naturally in foods.
Copper is used extensively in agriculture to kill molds and fungal diseases as well as some insect invasions. strong warning labels are displayed on the containers of those treatments. Using dosages higher than recommended can be dangerous to people and to the environment.Yet it is frrely fostered on us in the PT lumber.As for documented AQC toxicity, I have documented in this forum that it has caused mne reactions on my skin. That is abnormal, a physical reaction, and therefore by definition, toxic.
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The stuff seems heavier to me too. But that could be age. .." No matter how flat the pancake , there are always two sides"
Yes, as others have said, arsenic was used in treated lumber up to about 5 years ago, and is still available new for some special uses.
However, this is not to say that you should panic and run for the hills every time you see a (potentially) arsenic-treated board. The arsenic leaches out of the boards very slowly, and so long as you're not eating it (obvously, keep young kids away from it) or inhaling it (use dust mask when cutting, and don't burn it in your fireplace), it's not a serious hazard.
Bare feet on arsenic-treated decks shouldn't be a problem, as any easily-extracted arsenic washes off the surface after the first few months of weathering. Likewise, arsenic treated wood used around vegetable gardens isn't likely to be a problem unless you've got a lot of it -- there's often more arsenic in the soil naturally.