CCA Treated Wood News

Recent News Articles on CCA Treated Wood and its Health Hazards

In the past few years, a worldwide controversy has erupted over CCA treated wood products. CCA (aka Chromated Copper Arsenate) treated wood, commonly known as "pressure treated wood", has become the focus of a number of newspaper & magazine articles, as well as reports and studies by local, state and Federal agencies. What follows is a collection of the current information on the continuing controversy over CCA treated lumber and its health hazards.

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• Superfund Showdown: Gainesville Commissioners & EPA to Review Cabot-Koppers Progress
  (Gainesville Sun, 04/30/08)
  
  
• Pressure Treated Lumber - A Cautionary Guide
  (Gardenaut Blog, 04/29/08)
  
  
• Concerns Over Safety at San Fran. Playgrounds
  (ABC Channel 7, San Francisco, 04/25/08)
  
  
• EPA Seeks Comments on Revised Risk Assessment for CCA Wood Products
  (EPA Website, 04/16/08)
  
  
• Much-Loved Playground Demolished Due to Arsenic Leaching
  (Cape Cod Chronicle, Chatham, MA, 03/20/08)
  
  
• Discussion on Treated Wood Identification Methods
  (LumberJocks Blog, Dallas/Ft. Worth, 03/13/08)
  
  
• Arsenic Fears Incite Fight to Rebuild Playground
  (WFAA Channel 8, Dallas/Ft. Worth, 10/02/07)
  
  
• Taking a Persistent Industry to the Woodshed
  (News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, 09/23/07)
  
  
• Arsenic Imports for Lumber Plunge
  (Science Daily, 08/29/07)
  
  
• Landmark Playground to be Removed in September
  (Cape Cod Chronicle, 08/23/07)
  
  
• Update on Status of Illinois Home Depot CCA Class Action Suit (Kitzes v. Home Depot)
  (Class Action Defense Blog, 08/06/07)
  
  
• EPA Begins Cleanup of Abandoned Wood Treatment Facility
  (WAVE 3 TV, Louisville, KY, 07/27/07)
  
  
• Mississippi Treated Wood Plant Issued Cease & Desist Order for Environmental Violations
  (Picayune Item, 06/30/07)
  
  
• Disaster's Consequences: Hurricane's Legacy Includes Deadly Arsenic from Treated Wood
  (Science News, 02/03/07)
  
  
• Arsenic in Hurricane Katrina Wood Debris
  (Environmental Science & Technology Online, 01/24/07)
  
  
• EPA Rejects Carcinogenic Wood Preservative (Hex Chromium) for Residential Use
  (Free Internet Press, 01/09/07)
  
  
• EPA Rejects Proposed Lumber Treatment
  (CBS News, 01/08/07)
  
  
• Letter From Environmental Working Group (EWG) to EPA About Release of ACC Treated Wood
  (Beyond Pesticides.org, 01/04/07)
  
  
• Arsenic Leaching Remains a Problem in Mulch Made From Recycled Wood
  (Medical News Today, 08/06/06)
  
  
• Letter From Beyond Pesticides to EPA About Re-Release of ACC Treated Wood
  (Beyond Pesticides.org, 07/05/06)
  
  
• Helderberg, South Africa Homeowners Appeal Against New CCA Treatment Facility
  (News24.com, 05/26/06)
  
  
• Jury Awards $169K in Verdict Against Koppers for Cancer Victim
  (Yahoo Finance, 05/05/06)
  
  
• Arsenic in Mulch (Again?)
  (WCPO Ch. 9, Cincinnatti, 05/05/06)
  
  
• A Deadly Poison In Your Yard?
  (Newton TAB, Newton, Mass., 05/03/06)
  
  
• Special Report: A Rotten Deal - How Mold and CCA Wood Foundations have Turned Housing on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation into A Toxic Nightmare
  (Montana's Missoula Independent, 04/07/06)
  
  
• Despite Their Assertions to the Contrary, Treated Wood Companies Rake in the Profits During Transition Period
  (Building Online, 04/04/06)
  
  
• Playground Has Toxic Arsenic in its Wood - Bay Area Parents Warned
  (KGO-TV ABC Channel 7 Web site, 03/01/06)
  
  
• Treated Wood Overview - A Product Constantly Changing
  (PalletEnterprise.com, 03/01/06)
  [Editor's note: This is a interesting pro-industry article on treated wood history.
  We believe the article contains statements about CCA leaching that are inaccurate,
  but we have included it here for completeness.]
  
  
• Report Says Chromium Industry Hid Cancer Risks of Hex Chromium
  (USA Today website, 02/24/06)
  [Editor's note: Hexavalent Chromium is the chromium used in the CCA chemical formula.]
  
  
• Stafford Needs $400,000 to replace CCA Playground Due to Arsenic Levels
  (Ashubry Park Press, Ashbury, NJ, 01/18/06)
  
  
• Arsenic-Treated Wood May Have a Long Toxic Legacy
  (Environmental Science & Technology, 12/21/05)
  
  
• Don't Burn New Types of Treated Lumber- Smoke, Ashes Can be Toxic
  (Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC, 11/26/05)
  
  
• Bans Likely on CCA Treated Wood in Australia
  (Narooma News, Narooma, New South Wales, Australia, 10/06/05)
  
  
• Follow Up Story: Virginia Hero Makes Plea Deal with Association over Playground Arsenic Warnings
  (Loudown Times Mirror, Loudown, VA 09/27/05)
  
  
• Cape Cod Playground Poses Possible Health Risk From Arsenic
  (The Cape Codder, 09/16/05)
  
  
• Chatham Councilmen Endorse Replacing Playground Due to Arsenic Concerns
  (Cape Cod Chronicle, Chatham, MA 09/15/05)
  
  
• Treat Pressure Treated Wood Carefully
  (San Fransisco Chronicle, 09/03/05)
  
  
• Coatings Minimize Leaching from CCA Treated Wood
  (A Study Article by Stan Lebow, Researcher, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, 08/19/05)
  
  
• From Arsenic to Courtroom - Heroic Virginia Man Goes to Court for Putting Arsenic Warning Signs on CCA Playground
  (Loudown Times Mirror, Loudown, VA 08/16/05)
  
  
• New Study Shows Low Arsenic Levels (>= 4 ppb) Promote Tumor Growth
  (Health24.Com web site, 08/10/05)
  
  
• Poison on the Playground - Arsenic Treated Wood Structures Raise Concerns
  (MedPageToday.Com web site, 08/09/05)
  
  
• Poisonous Playgrounds in Monroe County
  (WROC CBS Channel 8 Web site, Rochester, NY 07/21/05)
  
  
• Something Stinks: The Lingering Legacy of the Wood Preserving Industry
  (EMagazine.com, 07/20/05)
  
  
• Australian Company Announces New Treated Wood Product called "Blue 2"
  (Canadian Newswire Group, 07/18/05)
  
  
• Planet Playground - A World of Trouble - Soil Contaminated with Arsenic-treated Wood
  (Ashbury Park Press, 07/18/05)
  
  
• All Decked Out - The Boards in Your Deck Ain't What They Used to Be
  (San Fransisco Chronicle, 07/09/05)
  
  
• Stafford, NJ Orders Park Closed Down due to Arsenic Levels
  (Ashbury Park Press, 06/22/05)
  
  
• Dover Township to Rebuild Razed Toxic Playground
  (Ashbury Park Press, 06/06/05)
  
  
• Researchers Warn High Levels of Arsenic in Mulch Could Pose Hazard
  (South Florida Sun Sentinel, 05/24/05)
  
  
• Ways to Avoid Arsenic in Mulch
  (South Florida Sun Sentinel, 05/24/05)
  
  
• Government Groups Issue Guidelines on CCA Wood Safety
  (WISH TV Channel 8 Web site, Indianopolis, 05/18/05)
  
  
• Sealants Could Cut Children's Cancer Risk
  (MSNBC Web site, 05/13/05)
  
  
• Studies Provide Public with Updated Info on CCA-Treated Playgrounds & Decks
  Kansas City Infozine, 05/13/05)
  
  
• Government Official Warns of Arsenic Cancer Risk - Urges Parents to Wash Children's Hands & Seal Wood
  (Ascribe Public Newswire, 05/13/05)
  
  
• Sealing Out Cancer - Studies Show Sealants Protect Against Arsenic
  (Grand Forks Herald, 05/13/05)
  
  
• Peril At Planet Playground - Tot Lot Built with Arsenic Treated Wood
  (Ashbury Park Press, 05/12/05)
  
  
• Federal Study Recommends Yearly of Treated Wood Decks & Playgrounds
  (ConsumerAffairs.com Web site, 05/12/05)
  
  
• Consumer Product Safety Commission Press Release on CCA Wood Coatings Study
  (CPSC Web site, 05/11/05)
  Additional Comments from CPSC Commissioner Moore on CPSC Study Results
  (CPSC Web site, 05/11/05)
  
  
• EPA Press Release Advising to Use Sealants on CCA Treated Wood
  (US EPA's Web site, 05/11/05)
  [Editor's note: See Item 2 on this web page.]
  
  
• Plans for Kids Cove Playground On Hold - Treated Wood Must be Removed by Haz Waste Contractor
  (The Daily Item, Lynn, MA, 05/11/05)
  
  
• Arsenic Cited In Playground Closure
  (Ashbury Park Press, 04/27/05)
  
  
• New Zealand Commission Charges CCA Treated Wood Manufacturers with Cartel Behavior
  (Stuff News Site, New Zealand, 04/27/05)
  
  
• Commerce Commission Initiates Legal Action against CCA Cartel
  (New Zealand Herald, 04/27/05)
  
  
• Are Your Children's Playgrounds Toxic?
  (The Phillipine Daily Inquirer, 04/23/05)
  
  
• Michigan School Razes Playground Eguipment due to Arsenic-treated Wood Cancer Risk
  (Detroit News, 03/27/05)
  
  
• Aussie Councils Call for National Plan to Address CCA Wood Health Problem
  (ABC News Online - Australia 03/19/05)
  
  
• New Zealand Timber Industry Whines over Losses from Aussie CCA Ban
  (Stuff News Site, New Zealand, 03/18/05)
  
  
• Tasmanian Timber Treater "Disses" CCA Cancer Warning
  (ABC News Online - Australia 03/17/05)
  
  
• Toxic Timber Ban Sparks Fears over Playground Equipment
  (The Courier-Mail, Queensland, Australia 03/17/05)
  
  
• Authorities In Australia Move to Stop Use of Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Wood
  (Channel Seven News Web site, Australia 03/16/05)
  
  
• Australian Regulatory Agency Calls for CCA Ban
  (The Australian Web site 03/16/05)
  
  
• Treated Timber - A Ticking Time Bomb
  (Illawarra Mercury News, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, 03/16/05)
  
  
• Cancer Concerns Prompt Treated Pine Playground Ban
  (ABC News Online - Australia 03/16/05)
  
  
• Treated Pine in Garden Furniture Banned
  (Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Australia 03/16/05)
  
  
• Report Warns of Link Between Treated Lumber and Cancer
  (University of Wollongong News, Wollongong, Australia 03/15/05)
  
  
• Jersey Law Firm Investigates Link between Treated Wood Deck Fires and Cancer/Neurological Symptoms
  (eMediaWire Service News Release, 03/14/05)
  
  
• Town of Marshfield Debates Fate of CCA-treated Playground
  (Marshfield Mariner, Marshfield, MA 03/09/05)
  
  
• Maine Law to Ban Arsenic Treated Wood made in Other States From Its Landfills & Incinerators
  (Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME 02/07/05)
  
  
• Lumber Quality Scrutinized - New Preservatives Spur Corrosion Concerns
  (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN 01/23/05)
  
  
• Burning CCA Treated Wood Can be Dangerous
  (KYTV Channel 3 Web site, Springfield, MO 01/07/05)
  
  
• 4000+ Plaintiffs File Class Action Suit Against Kerr McGhee & T.P. Corp over Treated Wood Plant Pollution
  (Citizen's Voice, Wilkes Barr, PA 01/05/05)
  
  
• City Will Seal Wood on Kid's Playgrounds to Protect Children from Arsenic Exposure
  (Brampton Guardian, Brampton, Ontario, Canada 12/03/04)
  
  
• Joey's Park Safety Questioned
  (Belmont Citizen-Herald, Belmont, MA 11/18/04)
  
  
• New ACQ Treated Wood may cause Premature Corrosion & Fastener Failure - CPSC to investigate
  [Editor's note: Use stainless steel, or your deck may fall down go boom.]
  (Sacramento Bee, 11/10/04)
  
  
• New Study Shows Arsenic in Playgrounds May Lead to Melanoma
  (WDIV Detroit Channel 4 Web site, 10/15/04)
  
  
• Ontario Playground Equipment being Treated with Sealant to Keep Kids Safe
  (The Brampton Guardian, 10/15/04)
  
  
• Arsenic and Old Stakes - CCA Treated Grapevine Stakes Too Dangerous to Burn or Bury
  (Fresno Bee, 10/10/04)
  
  
• New Treated Lumber Has Its Own Issues
  (Detroit Free Press, 10/08/04)
  
  
• Safety Problems Force Removal of Play Structures
  (The Olympian, Olympia, WA, 09/14/04)
  
  
• Playground Poison
  (New York Post, 08/15/04)
  
  
• Playset's Arsenic Risk Alarms Parents
  (Delaware's The News Journal - Online Edition, 08/09/04)
  
  
• Ban on Burning Treated Wood Considered in California's Monterey Bay Region
  (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 07/22/04)
  
  
• Arsenic in treated wood playsets raises fears
  (Indianopolis Star, 07/10/04)
  
  
• Play It Safe
  (Chillicothe Gazette, 07/09/04)
  [Editor's note: In this article, the March of Dimes finally acknowledges that exposure to arsenic in CCA treated wood can cause birth defects. For more information, see this March of Dimes Web page. ]
  
  
• Tests Confirm CCA Toxins in Santa Cruz Beach Fire Rings
  (KSBW NBC Channel 8 Web site, Monterery/Santa Cruz, CA, 07/02/04)
  
  
• CBS Evening News Consumer Alert: Hidden Danger in the Backyard
  (CBS News Web site, 07/02/04)
  [Editor's note: The 5 minute news segment, broadcast on the CBS Evening News on Friday July 2, 2004, is available above.]
  
  
• Beach Bonfire Rings Tested for Toxic Metals
  (KSBW NBC Channel 8 Web site, Monterery/Santa Cruz, CA, 07/02/04)
  
  
• Martins Field playground in Flushing, NY dangerous due to treated wood
  (Bayside Times, 07/01/04)
  
• Arsenic Fears Lead to New Playground Equipment in NJ
  (South Brunswick Post, 06/17/04)
  
  
• Future of Treated Wood Mazes Playground Unclear
  (Marshfield Mariner, Marshfield, MA, 06/09/04)
  
  
• Silence in the Playgrounds-Many public playgrounds shut down by arsenic concerns
  (The Buffalo News: 06/01/04)
  
  
• Tests Show Treated Wood Bonfires Contaminating California Beaches
  (Good Times, 05/27/04)
  
  
• Creosote - A Witch's Brew
  (Naples Daily News: 05/23/04)
  [Editor's note: This article is about Creosote treated wood but also details CCA-related issues.]
  
  
• Creosote - Tainted Water
  (Naples Daily News: 05/23/04)
  [Editor's note: While this article is about Creosote treated wood and not CCA, it may be of interest to many of our readers.]
  
  
• The Deal with Decks - Advantages of Composite Decking
  (Portland Press Herald: 05/23/04)
  
  
• Treated Wood is Cancer Risk for Kids
  (Detroit Free Press: 05/16/04)
  
  
• Open Letter to the EPA on the Reregistration of Arsenic and/or Chromium-Treated Wood Products
  (BANCCA.ORG: 05/15/04)
  
  
• Playground Wood often Treated with Deadly Chemical
  (Jewish World Review: 05/14/04)
  
  
• Tests Reveal High Levels of Arsenic and Chromium from Beach Bonfires
  (Friends of the Harbor Group Press Release: 05/11/04)
  
  
• Parents Worry about Arsenic-Based Preservative in Wooden Playgrounds
  (New York's WNBC Channel 4 Web site: 05/10/04)
  
  
• Arsenic and Old Play Sets - Guidelines still fuzzy on what parents should do...
  (Akron Beacon Journal: 05/08/04) [Editor's note: You may be prompted after 1st viewing to register to access this article.]
  
  
• Playing with Arsenic
  (Champaigne News-Gazette Online: 05/08/04)
  
  
• New Kind of Pressure-Treated Wood for This Year's Decks
  (Staten Island Advance: 05/02/04)
  
  
• Deck Lumber & Hardware Present Risks
  (Washington Post: 05/01/04)
  
  
• Blackfoot Tribe Files Suit over Toxic CCA wood foundations in HUD homes
  (Golden Triangle News: 04/28/04)
  
  
• Hamlin Park Playground is Demolished due to Treated Wood Safety Concerns
  (East Aurora Advertiser, East Aurora, NY: 04/28/04)
  
  
• Five-year-old Boy Seriously Injured on Treated Wood Playground; Playground to be Demolished
  (Pawtucket Times, Pawtucket, PA: 04/27/04)
  
  
• School Wood Shop at Heart of CCA Wood & Children's Safety Dispute
  (Mobile Register: 04/17/04)
  
  
• Good Enough to Eat? Copper-based wood preservative also has risks
  (Seattle Post-Intelligencer: 04/15/04)
  
  
• Former Mississippi Treatment Plant to become Superfund Site - EPA investigating Pollution Levels
  (Sun Herald: 03/28/04)
  
  
• Louisiana CCA Class Action Suit Rejected
  (US NewsWire: 03/25/04)
  
  
• Arsenic-Treated Lumber Lingers Despite Ban
  (Roanoke Times, Roanoke, VA: 03/22/04)
  
  
• Company stands behind Carcinogenic Wood in Playground - Ban, what Ban?
  (SeaCoast Online, Portsmouth, NH: 03/22/04)
  
  
• The Poisoned Wood Mystery - Is it safe? Is it 'the next asbestos'?
  (The National Law Journal: 03/20/04)
  
  
• Tanzanian Residents in Danger from Toxic Treated Wood Plant Fumes
  (IPPMedia Web site: 03/10/04)
  
  
• Outdoor Dilemna: Homeowners Ponder Whether to Replace Treated Wood
  (Kansas City Star: 03/09/04)
  
  
• Late Lessons From Pressure Treated Wood - Part 2 by Sandra Steingraber
  (Rachel's Environment & Health News: 02/19/04)
  
  
• Iowa Man blames Arsenic In CCA for Mysterious Illness
  (Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier: 02/13/04)
  
  
• Late Lessons From Pressure Treated Wood - Part 1 by Sandra Steingraber
  (Rachel's Environment & Health News: 02/12/04)
  
  
• Danger On Deck - Kids May Need Protection from Arsenic Treated Wood
  (Science News Online: 01/31/04)
  
  
• Arsenic-contaminated Mulch to be Removed from Keystone Heights Playground
  (Bradford County Telegraph- Starke, FL: 01/29/04)
  
  
• Cancer-Causing Wood Treatment Banned
  (KLTV Channel 7 - Tyler, Texas: 01/27/04)
  
  
• Kid's Castle Treated Wood Playground to be Sealed
  (Doylestown Patriot - Doylestown, PA: 01/24/04)
  
  
• Confusing Phaseout Means Retailers can Sell Remaining CCA Stock
  (Gainesville Sun: 01/24/04)
  
  
• Lumber Ban Takes Effect
  (Michigan's The Bay Times: 01/18/04)
  
  
• Arsenic found in Wells near Koppers Treated Wood Facility in Gainesville
  (Gainesville Sun: 01/14/04)
  
  
• Conference on Environmental Impacts of Pressured Treated Wood - Feb. 9-11, 2004
  (Register online @ University of Florida Dept. of Continuing Education Web site)
  
  
• Arsenic-Treated Wood Can No Longer Be Produced
  (San Diego KGTV Channel 10 Web site: 01/07/04)
  
  
• New Treated Wood is Coming
  (Polk Online Web site: 01/07/04)
  
  
• Cost of Decks Going Up
  (The Saginaw News: 01/02/04)
  
  
• Wood's Toxic Edge Ends The 'Green' Era
  (Newark's The Star-Ledger: 01/02/04)
  
  
• Arsenic Ban To Hit Homeowners' Wallets
  (Florida Today Web site: 01/01/04)
  
  
• End Nears for Arsenic-Treated Wood
  (WRAL TV Web site, Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, NC: 12/31/03)
  
  
• Production of Pressure-Treated Lumber Banned
  (KIRO TV Web site, Seattle, WA: 12/31/03)
  
  
• Extra Cost Brings Safety for Treated Wood