*
The EPA appears to be pulling the plug on CCA. According to this article in the LA Times, CCA is supposed to be phased out in two years. But they mention that it is “voluntary”, and CCA replacements will be in the big boxes “as it becomes available”. The article also mentions that the EPA hasn’t yet figured out just how bad the arsenic in CCA really is for you. While arsenic can be a fatal poison it is also known to be among the most potent carcinogens. Those working with CCA generally don’t just drop dead, so the problem is figuring out just how many of the cancers that occur at some point in the future might be the result of having gotten small to moderate doses of arsenic from CCA treated lumber. It seems likely that using CCA will cause at least some cancers, but I doubt that they will ever figure just how much it contributes to the overall cancer rate in this country.
LA Times article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000011204feb13.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation%2Dmanual
Replies
*
The EPA appears to be pulling the plug on CCA. According to this article in the LA Times, CCA is supposed to be phased out in two years. But they mention that it is "voluntary", and CCA replacements will be in the big boxes "as it becomes available". The article also mentions that the EPA hasn't yet figured out just how bad the arsenic in CCA really is for you. While arsenic can be a fatal poison it is also known to be among the most potent carcinogens. Those working with CCA generally don't just drop dead, so the problem is figuring out just how many of the cancers that occur at some point in the future might be the result of having gotten small to moderate doses of arsenic from CCA treated lumber. It seems likely that using CCA will cause at least some cancers, but I doubt that they will ever figure just how much it contributes to the overall cancer rate in this country.
LA Times article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000011204feb13.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation%2Dmanual