COX INDUSTRIES, INC.
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CCA
pressure treated wood is a safe long lasting building material
used in decks, fences, retaining walls, picnic tables, docks, and
other places where the wood is exposed to rot, insect attack or
other forms of biodeterioration. The basic treating process is
simple and highly controlled.
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The
CCA preservative is a formulation of chromated copper arsenate,
a formulation found to be highly effective as a wood
preservative.
Each
of the three elements in CCA is important to its overall
performance.
Copper
is normally associated with piping or perhaps pennies. However,
in certain forms, it is an effective fungicide. It is the copper
that lends CCA-treated wood its unique greenish cast - which,
over time, weathers to a driftwood gray.
Chromium,
which also helps to protect against certain fungi, plays an
important part in the fixation of preservative to the wood
fiber.
The
arsenic in CCA preservative is pentavalent arsenic, a naturally-occuring
trace element in the soil, water, air, plants, and in the
tissues of most living creatures, including man. When it is
fixed in the wood cells as copper arsenate and chrome arsenate,
it is toxic to wood-destroying termites and fungi, but, when
used properly in the concentrations found in CCA
pressure-treated wood, it is not harmful to people or to
animals.
Environmental
Benefits of CCA Pressure Treated Wood
FACT NO. 1:
Wood
preservatives are restricted for home use; CCA-treated wood is
not.
Restricted
use classification means that the liquid wood preservative can
only be sold to and used by certified applicators.
Virtually
all uses of the three major industrially applied wood
preservative solutions pentachlorophenol (used primarily in
utility poles), creosote (railroad crossties) and CCA - are
classified for restricted use.
Although
CCA pressure-treated wood is processed with a preservative, the
treated wood is not a "Pesticide" or
"Preservative" as a finished product, and is safe for
use around people, pets and plants.
FACT NO. 2:
The arsenic in
CCA is a natural form.
Pentavalent
arsenic, a naturally occurring metal that's found in the earth's
crust, is used in CCA pressure-treated lumber.
It's
the same natural element that's present in soil, plants and
other living organisms including humans and animals. It's found
in fog, arctic ice and food.
FACT NO. 3:
Fixation locks
CCA in the wood.
Treated
wood lasts so long because the CCA becomes "fixed"
inside - it reacts chemically with wood sugars, bonding the
preservative to the wood in a highly insoluble, leach-resistant
state.
There
are no Federal sealing requirements for any use of CCA
pressure-treated wood. Nor are there EPA requirements to wear
gloves when handling CCA pressure-treated wood, but we recommend
doing so to protect yourself from splinters when handling
treated or untreated wood.
FACT NO. 4:
No harm is
known to have occurred to livestock from cribbing CCA treated
wood.
As
far as we know, despite the widespread use of wood in fences and
stalls, no horse or cow has ever died from cribbing CCA-treated
lumber.
Conservative
estimates based on studies done with rats indicate that an
average horse would have to eat a 2 x 4 approximately 10 feet
long at one sitting to take in the equivalent amount of
preservative lethal to an average rat.
Furthermore,
we use the oxide formulation of CCA rather than a salt
formulation. Oxides are less enticing to animals so there is
generally less cribbing of the wood.
FACT NO. 5:
CCA-treated
wood emits no vapors and can be used indoors.
CCA
pressure-treated wood does not emit vapors or fumes and may be
used indoors for all applications (except cuttingboards and
countertops) where protection against termites and fungal decay
is needed.
FACT NO. 6:
Treated wood
can be used in water and around fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Treated
wood should not be used in any direct-contact application where
the preservatives may become a component of human food or
drinking water. However, applications with incidental water
contact, such as docks and bridges, are acceptable.
CCA
pressure-treated wood is suitable for raised flower or vegetable
beds, landscaping applications, mushroom trays, grape and tomato
stakes, most greenhouse uses and similar applications.
FACT NO. 7:
CCA-treated
wood is suitable for picnic tables though not recommended for
countertops.
While
it's true that neither treated nor untreated wood is recommended
for countertops, normal food preparation activity on picnic
tables is fine.
This
is because picnic tables are primarily used for serving prepared
food while a countertop is used primarily as a cutting surface.
The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends against any wood -
treated or untreated being used as a cutting surface since food
particles are likely to become embedded in it.
This
can lead to bacterial growth and may present an unsanitary
condition.
Therefore,
when eating at your CCA pressure- treated picnic table, use
common sense procedures and care (e.g. tablecloths, plates) and
it will provide you with years of safe and durable use.
FACT NO. 8:
Treated wood
is fine for playground structures.
Studies
evaluating the risk of skin cancer to children posed by CCA
treated playground equipment show by comparison that this risk
is no greater than the risk of skin cancer from the sunlight
experienced during play periods.
FACT NO. 9:
You should
follow the CIS recommendations but not be alarmed by them.
The
recommendations on the Consumer Information Sheet (see back
page) correspond to instructions on paints, adhesives, and other
products that have labels. Most of the recommendations reflect
common sense and good hygiene, and apply to both treated and
untreated wood.
For
example, care should be exercised to avoid inhaling sawdust;
fine dust particles generated in sawing wood are air pollutants
and could cause nose and throat irritation.
Care
should also be exercised to avoid getting dust or wood chips in
your eyes (i.e., wear goggles or safety glasses). Eyes are
extremely sensitive and any type of foreign matter can cause
irritation.
Follow
good personal hygiene practices. Hands and work clothes should
be washed after working with wood or after doing any type of
construction work.
Do
not burn treated wood. Fire can break the bond that fixes the
preservative to wood. Even this precaution is not exclusive to
treated wood; medical authorities also advise against burning
other manufactured wood products, such as plywood,
particleboard, and old furniture. |
