Chemistry and toxicology of building timbers pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate: a review

Abstract

A recent agreement between the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the wood-treating industry will result in a phase-out of building timbers preserved with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). This agreement was motivated by a desire to reduce exposure to arsenic in the production, utilization and disposal of such material. The leaching of chromium, copper and arsenic from CCA-treated building timbers into water and soil and the subsequent environmental effects have been reviewed, as have the laboratory and epidemiological studies on the toxicology of CCA-treated building timbers. The benefits of the phase-out agreement are questionable because much arsenic will remain in the environment, and the alternatives to wood preservation with CCA are not without environmental consequences.