Why CCA Was Taken Off the Market
by Theresa Coleman
After producing CCA (chromated copper arsenate) for 70 years, U.S. makers of the chemical agreed to take it off the residential market by January 1, 2004. The reason was the potential negative health effects from exposure to the arsenic in CCA-treated wood, a concern raised by the Environmental Working Group (202/667-6982, ewg.org) and the Healthy Building Network (202/898-1610, healthybuilding.net). These organizations petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban CCA-treated wood for playground equipment.
Some studies suggested that long-term exposure to arsenic increases the likelihood of lung, bladder, and skin cancer. However, other studies show that people get more exposure to arsenic in their everyday food and water than they do from playgrounds and decks. And the EPA has not concluded that CCA-treated wood poses any unreasonable risk to the public. In the end, however, the wood-treatment industry voluntarily withdrew CCA from residential use.
What does this mean to you as a deck builder? If a customer is concerned about an old CCA-treated deck, you can assure them that the EPA says it poses no danger. You also can cite two studies.
The first was completed by the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California-Davis. Looking at people who would have been exposed to CCA-wood playgrounds, researchers discovered that the incidence of cancer from arsenic-related exposure either decreased or held steady.
The second study comes from the University of Alberta. Researchers found that the maximum amount of arsenic found on children’s hands after playing on a CCA-treated wood playground was less than the average daily intake of arsenic from water and food. — T.C.
Theresa Coleman writes on construction topics from her home in Ambler, Penn.
