CCA Handling Guidelines

Should I be concerned about my exposure to CCA wood?

More importantly, other studies (Townsend, et al. 2001) indicate that the toxicity of the CCA chemicals increases as the particle size decreases. This means that the fine sawdust from CCA wood, which can be generated by sawing, drilling or sanding, is much more toxic than larger pieces of wood. Thus, exposure caused by breathing CCA sawdust carries the greatest health risk, especially if the exposure occurs in an unventilated area. One case that appeared in the foreign medical journal Acta Pharmacologica et Toxicologica, (Peters, Croft, Woolson, et al, 1986) described the effects of just such an exposure:

"Case reports were presented of a 42 year old Caucasian woman and a 40 year old man who made picnic tables out of CCA treated lumber in February and March 1983. A radial arm saw, band saw, drill press and hand drill were used in a small nonventilated room; no protective clothing or mask were worn. Within several days, both began to experience spontaneous nose bleeds, heaviness of the chest, itching and burning of the skin, and stomach aches. The woman noticed that her hair pulled out when combed. Other symptoms included alterations in memory and darkening of urine. The man suffered from severe tarry stools and massive melena, requiring hospitalization and 7 units of blood. Within 3 months, the symptoms disappeared, but recurred immediately when they resumed work a year later…"

1. Wear gloves made of a material such as rubber, which is resistant to chemicals such as arsenic when handling CCA treated wood. (Source: Cal HESIS Fact Sheet)

2. When sanding, sawing or drilling, wear goggles to protect your eyes from flying CCA sawdust.  Dust masks or pesticide-rated respirators should also be worn when sawing or sanding CCA wood, to protect your lungs.

3. Wear work clothes when working with CCA, and wash them separately. (Source: Cal HESIS Fact Sheet)

4. After working with CCA, wash yourself thoroughly before eating, drinking or smoking. (Source: Cal HESIS Fact Sheet)

5. DO NOT burn treated wood in open fires, or in stoves, fireplaces, or boilers. [Editor's note: This can release extremely toxic vapors of arsine gas.] (Source: New CCA Warning Label)

6. DO NOT handle freshly-treated "wet" CCA-treated lumber. (Source: Osmose MSDS)

7. Perform the work outdoors on a dropcloth so that sawdust can be collected and discarded. (Source: Conn. Dept. of Public Health Fact Sheet)

8. DO NOT use treated wood for mulch, cutting boards, counter tops, beehives, animal bedding, or structures or containers for storing animal feed or human food. (Source: New CCA Warning Label) [Editor's note: How about picnic tables??]

9. DO NOT use where treated wood may come into direct or indirect contact with drinking water. (Source: New CCA Warning Label)

10. DO NOT eat edible plants [grown] near CCA-treated decks. (Source: Conn. Dept. of Public Health Fact Sheet)

11. Keep children and pets out of under-deck areas where arsenic may have leached in the past. (Source: Conn. Dept. of Public Health Fact Sheet)

12. Install a plastic liner on the inside of CCA-treated boards used to frame garden beds. (Source: Conn. Dept. of Public Health Fact Sheet) [Editor's note: Better yet, do not use CCA wood to frame your garden beds!]

13. Individuals with pre-existing disease or a history of ailments involving the skin, kidney, liver, respiratory tract, eyes or nervous system are at a greater risk of developing adverse effects from woodworking operations with this product. (Source: Osmose MSDS) [Editor's note: this is quite a damning statement, taken straight from the Material Safety Data Sheet published by the manufacturer of CCA lumber products.]


What precautions should be taken with regard to existing CCA wood structures, such as decks and playground equipment?

CCA-treated wood decks are a great concern for most consumers, as they are more common, take up a larger surface area, and are a valuable asset to the homeowner. For these reasons, it has not been recommended that owners tear down their decks.  In some cases doing so might actually increase exposure to CCA. Instead, as the Connecticut Department of Public Health has recommended, consumers should "seal existing CCA-treated structures (decks, playscapes) every 2 years with a sealant such as an oil-based stain". Latex-based deck paint may also be suitable in coating and sealing the wood to prevent CCA from leaching to the surface.


Should I get rid of my CCA-treated wood products?

It is advisable that owners of CCA wood picnic tables either dispose of these items, or return them to the store where they were purchased and ask for a refund. Logic dictates that if CCA wood is not safe enough for use as a cutting board, (see details above), then it is not safe enough for use in picnic tables either. Hopefully, the retailers will refund the original purchase price of the item.

CCA lumber, scrap and posts that are being stockpiled should be disposed of as soon as possible. Alternative wood products which are arsenic and chromium-free are now available in some locations to replace CCA-treated wood.

County, city and state governments have to be more cautious with regard to CCA wood. Because of this, many have already torn down existing CCA playground structures, even removing as much as 1 foot of soil around the equipment to ensure that the CCA leachate in the soil is also removed. The expense for doing this kind of remediation is substantial, and is well beyond the means of the typical homeowner. For this and other reasons, CCA is now prohibited from use in future building projects in several communities in Florida.

What is the proper way to dispose of scrap CCA wood?

It is important to remember that CCA products would be classified as hazardous waste, if it were not for a special exemption. Therefore, CCA-treated wood should ALWAYS be disposed in a municipal landfill. There the wood will be stored and sorted, segregated from other recyclable lumber.

CCA wood should NEVER BE BURNED, since this frees the arsenic in the form of a toxic gas. Also, the leftover ash is laden with arsenic and is highly toxic.

For the time being, disposal of CCA wood does not incur any environmental impact fees. However, it is foreseeable that as the ever-increasing burden of CCA wood disposal is imposed on municipalities and landfill owners, impact fees may be required to fund the disposal costs. (For more details, see the section on CCA Disposal Issues.) Consumers may want to stay ahead of these future fees by 1) disposing of existing CCA wood that they currently have stockpiled, and 2)replacing any CCA structures in need of repair with alternative treated wood products as they become available.

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