HIgh Levels of Arsenic on Decks and Playsets

[Guest guest]

Nationwide Consumer Testing of Backyard Decks and Playsets Shows

High Levels of Arsenic on Old Wood

Findings Contradict February EPA Safety Assurance

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 29, 2002

Contact:

Liz Moore, Jon Corsiglia

202.667.6982

 

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON – Results from the largest–ever testing program for

arsenic–treated wood, released today by the Environmental Working

Group (EWG), show that the public remains at risk from high levels

of arsenic leaching out of pressure–treated wood in older decks,

playsets, and picnic tables.

 

Study findings reported in EWG's " All Hands on Deck " indicate that

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was wrong in

reassuring the public last February about the safety of existing

backyard structures. When the Agency announced that the wood

treatment industry had agreed to a voluntary " phase out " of the

cancer–causing, arsenic–based pesticide used to pressure-treat the

wood in playsets and backyard decks, EPA stated that it did " not

believe there is any reason to remove or replace arsenic–treated

structures. " [Emphasis added.] But new data show that consumers with

old wood structures remain at risk from arsenic that easily wipes

off the wood surface. Children who play on arsenic–treated playsets

and decks are at particularly high risk.

 

Since last November, consumers across the country have tested 263

decks, playsets, and picnic tables, and the arsenic–contaminated

soil beneath them, via an at–cost testing kit sold through EWG's

website, www.ewg.org. The samples were analyzed by the University of

North Carolina – Asheville's Environmental Quality Institute. The

results of the consumer testing program show:

 

1. Older decks and playsets (seven to 15 years old) expose people to

just as much arsenic on the wood surface as newer structures (less

than one year old). The amount of arsenic that testers wiped off a

small area of wood about the size of a four–year–old's handprint

(100 square centimeters) typically far exceeds what EPA allows in a

glass of water under the Safe Drinking Water Act standard.

 

2. Arsenic in the soil from two of every five backyards or parks

tested exceeds the U.S. EPA's Superfund cleanup level of 20 parts

per million (ppm).

 

3. Commercial wood sealants lose their effectiveness at trapping

arsenic after about 6 months, thus providing no long–term protection

from arsenic exposure.

 

" Consumers had to take it upon themselves to conduct a testing

program that should have been done long ago. And now consumers are

taking steps to protect their families, as they learn that arsenic

levels on backyard decks and playsets remain high for 20 years, "

said EWG Analyst Sean Gray.

 

Arsenic isn't just poisonous in the short term, it causes cancer in

the long term. Arsenic is on EPA's short list of chemicals known to

cause cancer in humans. According to the National Academy of

Sciences, exposure to arsenic causes lung, bladder, and skin cancer

in humans, and is suspected as a cause of kidney, prostate, and

nasal passage cancer. Numerous studies show that arsenic sticks to

children's hands when they play on treated wood, and is absorbed

through the skin and ingested when they put their hands in their

mouths.

 

For more than 20 years the wood industry has infused green wood with

heavy doses of arsenic to kill bugs and prevent rot. Although most

uses of arsenic wood treatments will be phased out by 2004, an

estimated 90 percent of existing outdoor structures are made of

arsenic–treated wood.

 

EWG's consumer testing results come as an EPA advisory panel

prepares to meet Friday to discuss the Agency's proposed method for

assessing cancer risks faced by children playing on arsenic–treated

wood structures.

 

" The EPA's advice has misled millions of consumers about the safety

of existing arsenic treated wood, " said Jane Houlihan, Vice

President for Research. " It's time that the Agency act to protect

and inform consumers, " she added.

 

Short of replacing their decks and playsets, families can lower

their arsenic exposures by sealing the wood at least every six

months, and washing hands thoroughly after contacting the wood. They

can also replace boards in high traffic areas such as handrails and

decking with arsenic–free alternatives.