| August 19, 2002 Is the CCA wood in playground equipment safe for our children? Can extended exposure to the arsenic in pressure treated wood increase their risk of cancer? Should stringent measures be taken to protect our children from the hazards of CCA treated wood? |
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| Earlier
this month, a report was released by the Florida Physicians Arsenic Workgroup
that addressed all of these questions. Their
shocking answer: normal use of pressure treated wood in playgrounds is
not harmful to children. |
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| This
new report, presented by this panel of Tampa area physicians, was commissioned
by the Florida Department of Health. A press release about the report
was distributed by the American Wood Preservers Institute (AWPI) , which
represents the treated wood industry, to newspaper and media outlets across
the country. |
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| The
conclusions found in the Florida Physicians Arsenic Workgroup’s report,
that "arsenic in or around CCA treated wood in playgrounds and recreational
facilities does not appear sufficient to adversely affect the health of
children or adults", have puzzled many. This is especially true given
the number of Incident Reports on file with the EPA showing both major
and minor injuries to men, women, children - even whole families- not
to mention horses, cattle and dogs. Moreover, the timing of their report
seems suspect, since the EPA is holding a public meeting on the safety
of CCA wood in playground equipment on August 30, 2002. Furthemore, there
are questions about why the supporting data, including referenced studies,
calculations, etc., have not been made widely available and open to peer
review. |
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| Fortunately,
this report is not the only available report on the risks associated with
children’s exposure to the arsenic and chromium in CCA wood used in playground
equipment. In April of 2001, during the peak period of controversy over
the hazards of CCA wood toxicity, the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection commissioned the University of Florida Center for Environmental
& Human Toxicology to evaluate the risks to children of exposure to CCA
wood. |
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| Their
report, authored by Dr. Stephen Roberts, a reknown toxicologist who served
on the EPA's FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel last year, and Dr. Hugo Ochoa,
was submitted to the Florida DEP on April 10, 2001. The report, a review
of all known studies on the hazards of arsenic exposure from treated wood,
comes to the opposite conclusion from that of the Florida Physicians Arsenic
Workgroup. It reasonably concludes that there is in fact a serious risk
involved with children's exposure to the arsenic in CCA. |
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| The CEHT report clearly states that “the plausible ranges of arsenic doses that could result from incidental contact [with CCA wood in playground equipment] includes doses high enough to be unacceptable from a health protection standpoint. It would seem to be prudent public health policy to take steps to mitigate exposure.” |
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| BANCCA
requested a copy of this unpublished CEHT report from the Florida DEP
in September 2001, but did not initially release it. We have since decided
to publish this report, due to its relevance at this time. The entire
original 13 page report, in its entirety including tables, references
and calculations, is available in PDF format for interested parties to
review. |
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| We
hope that this thorough and accurate report will benefit those who look
beyond the surface of a press release and search out the facts of a matter
before drawing their own conclusions. |
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By Joseph Prager |
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Earlier Report to DEP showed Risks of CCA Treated
Wood to Children
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