The Story of “Paul” from Spain
and his Exposure to Toxic Treated Wood
Editor’s Note: The
story of “Paul” (not his real name) is typical of many who have been unwittingly
exposed to the toxins and carcinogens in treated wood products.
BANCCA.ORG is pleased to be able to publish his account,
as it brings to mind how widespread the problems with this product have become.
While those in the U.S. and Canada can look forward to the eventual ban of most
residential uses of CCA wood in 2004, those who live in countries overseas will
have to contend with this product for many more years, until all countries have
declared their own individual bans on CCA. Moreover, it is also clear from Paul’s
description that treated lumber is not even properly labeled in foreign countries.
As much as possible, we have left the wording in its original format with only
minimal editing. Names of injured persons have been changed and places have
been removed for privacy reasons.
Revised 11/16/2002: Further testing has indicated that Paul was probably exposed
to ACC treated lumber, rather than CCA treated wood. ACC treated wood contains
chromium, but no arsenic. This account shows how the chromium component in treated
wood can also cause injury, too.
====================================================================
Hello, my name is "Paul". I
am a 31-year-old Australian living in XXXXXX, Spain. I am currently suffering
from what I believe to be a case of arsenic poisoning from CCA timber.
About 3 months ago, I started on a project to build a timber deck on the back
of the house that my wife and I recently purchased. The timber I used to build
this decking was a treated pine timber that I figured was the right stuff to
use for an outdoor project. However, at the time I had never heard of CCA, and
was totally unaware of the potential health risk involved in using treated timbers,
nor was I ever warned.
The time it took me to build the timber decking was about 4 to 5 weeks, mostly
involving work on the weekends. I built the decking entirely from treated timber.
While working with the timber over a period several weeks, I took no safety
precautions with regards to protecting myself from inhalation of the sawdust.
I spent a lot of time sawing and drilling the timber in an enclosed area, in
fact almost all of the sawing and drilling of the timber was performed in an
enclosed area at the bottom of my house. I left piles of the sawdust lying around
for long periods of time and the drilling often produced small amounts of smoke,
as an electric drill would often burn the timber a little as it drilled the
holes.
Shortly after finishing the project, I began to notice some strange health problems.
The first thing was a tingling sensation in my hands, followed by pain in my
feet and then similar tingling sensations and muscular cramps in my arms and
legs. I didn't really notice anything wrong during the time I was constructing
the decking until maybe the last week, when I noticed I was feeling a little
nauseous, tired, and had a slight tingling feeling in my hands. I didn't realize
at the time that it had anything at all to do with my work.
It was probably another week or two, after I had finished the work that I noticed
any real pains and numbness in my feet and hands, [which] later also progressed
to my legs and arms, and even my shoulders a little bit. The condition of my
feet and toenails also changed - The skin became dry, and changed color slightly
around my toes and heals, and my toenails on my big toes became brittle and
streaked.
At this time, I started visiting [local] doctors.
After about a month of visiting different medical specialists, and having all
sorts of blood, x-ray and neurological tests performed, there was still no explanation
to what my problem was - the doctors were basically clueless!
One thing that was starting to develop in the back of my mind was that all the
problems began about the time I had been working on the timber decking. I [began]
thinking that I must have somehow damaged my spine will digging the foundations
for my project, and this was somehow causing my problems. It was then that my
sister, who is a nurse in Australia and has had a lot of experience with neurological
problems, suggested that maybe what I was experiencing was the result of a poisoning
of some kind.
I started searching on the Internet, and to my surprise I discovered all this
information about CCA timber and Arsenic poisoning. A lot of the information
about the effects of this type of Arsenic poisoning matched my symptoms exactly.
Finally, I had a possible explanation for what was happening to me- in a funny
sort of a way, it was almost a relief. However, I am still having a number of
problems:
After telling the doctors here (my Spanish is not great) what I think my problem
is, they looked at me a bit strangely. They
have conceded that there is a possibility that my problem is Arsenic or heavy
metal poisoning, but they tell me there is no way
that they can confirm the Arsenic poisoning. This may be true, as I know Arsenic
has a very short half-life in the bloodstream, making it impossible to detect
after a short period of time. I know there is another test, but they don't seem
to have it available here or they don't think it is worth doing it. They also
tell me if it is Arsenic or some other heavy metal poisoning, there is nothing
they can do from a treatment point of view - this is probably also true. So
at this stage, I still don't have any confirmation of my problem and by the
sounds of it maybe I never will - but in my opinion Arsenic poisoning from CCA
timber is extremely likely.
I purchased the treated timber from two different chain hardware and outdoor
stores here in Spain. I have been back to both of these places to try and find
out what their treated timber is treated with. They won't tell me! I guess that
it is CCA - at the least it is definitely treated with some type of copper based
compound as it has that distinctive green tinge to it.
Recently my symptoms have developed further. I am now beginning to suffer from
regular dizzy spells with loss of balance and control. This really scares me
a lot and I feel quiet alone as the doctors can't tell me anything - and I don't
know how much worse or better these symptoms are likely to get. On top of that
I am unable to function properly at my work and my wife is 5 months pregnant
with our first child.
I am wondering if you know how to put me in touch with a group or someone who
has experience with this type of thing and may be able to help me or just offer
some friendly advice.
Kind Regards,
“Paul” from Spain
========================================================================
Update to the original account, dated Sept. 2002:
It is now about 2.5 - 3 months later and some of the original symptoms have
subsided (but not disappeared completely), the pains and numbness I don't think
are now as bad as they were. However, it seems to have been replaced by something
much worse. Very recently I have been experiencing a lot of dizziness, a feeling
of weakness in my legs and a loss of balance. The dizziness is causing me considerable
problems. One thing I find a little confusing about this is that during the
time I began to realize there was a possibility I had been poisoned by arsenic
my sister managed to speak with a highly-regarded doctor, an expert in toxicology
in Australia. He
indicated that the effects of the type of arsenic poisoning I received should
not worsen after being removed from the source of the poisoning. I am not sure
I agree totally with this statement- definitely in my case this does not seem
to be true. I am 90% certain my problem is arsenic-related
and I am also sure that I have withdrawn myself from the source.
With regards to [my] medical diagnosis, so far it has been a long and frustrating
process. Originally, I reported my main symptoms as pain and numbness in my
extremities (hands, feet, arms and legs) I was told that this was likely to
be spinal problems or blood circulation. I visited specialists in both these
respective areas and after having x-rays and blood circulation tests performed,
everything came back normal. I was then recommended to visit a Neurologist.
The Neurologist was not able to find anything unusual, based on a physical inspection
(this was all prior to my more recent dizziness and balance problems). I was
sent to have some quite painful nerve conductivity tests performed. The results
of these tests came back completely normal. It was at around this time that
I became aware of the possibility that I was suffering from Arsenic poisoning.
Strangely, the Neurologist dismissed this as a likely possibility, but did not
rule it out completely. I was sent for a huge number of blood tests as well
as having a chest x-ray performed. The chest x-ray came back clean. The blood
tests required me to give 3 separate samples of blood and also provide a 24
hour urine sample. The results came back as a 5 page report.
There were only two abnormal readings in the entire report, both were Enzyme
measurements (results are in Spanish):
Enzimas GPT (ALT) - 79 UI/L (should be <40)
Enzimas Gamma GT - 57 UI/L (should be between 7 - 50)
The original Neurologist who had requested these tests never saw the results.
When I went back to see her the next time, she had disappeared on holidays and
had been replaced by a junior who didn't seem to know or care much about these
results. Instead, she just recommended I see an Internal Medicine specialist
(these would be called Physicians in Australia). I did speak to a person who
works for the department of Toxicology in Spain about my problem who
mentioned that these two abnormal blood results could definitely indicate Arsenic
poisoning, although [it] does not prove it.
The Internal Medicine specialist I have so far only seen once. She noticed that
I appeared to be a bit unstable, and also agreed
I may be poisoned by arsenic, but was not interested
in recommending me for a hair and nail analysis at this stage. Her opinion is
that there is no treatment for arsenic poisoning, so there is no need to rush
into anything. Instead, she has put in for a MRI Scan, which I [will] have on
Thursday this week.
I have considered going back to Australia for medical treatment. I feel here
in Spain it is a lot more difficult for me and in many ways [the medical services
here are] not as good as the medical services I am used to in Australia. However,
with my wife very pregnant and my work here, this is not really an option right
now, but it may become one if I get more desperate.
Kind Regards,
“Paul” from Spain
================================================================================
Home
© Copyright
2003 BANCCA.ORG, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer:
BANCCA.ORG makes every effort to ensure the accuracy
of the information provided on its Web site. However the information presented
is for research and educational purposes only, and is subject to regular review
and change without notice. No warranty or representation can be provided regarding
this information.
We do not accept liability for any losses or damage arising directly or indirectly
from reliance on the information in any article written or published on this
Web site.