Submit your Pressure Treated Wood claim details for a free, no obligation case review.
Get Started:
more_legal_areas arsenicArsenic is a chemical which is known to be toxic (harmful to health) and carcinogenetic (cancer-causing). Ninety percent of the arsenic produced is used as a preservative in pressure treated wood. The arsenic compound called chromate copper arsenate (CCA) is used to pressure treat wood to protect against rotting and decay. In late 2003 the manufacturers of this wood stopped producing it for residential use in decks, play structures, tables, and more. In the past, arsenic was used as a pesticide primarily on cotton fields. Arsenic is also found in lead-acid automobile batteries, semiconductors, and light-emitting electrodes. Arsenic is released into the atmosphere by coal-fired and oil-fired power plants and incinerators.
Arsenic can be found in water, food, soil, and air which makes arsenic removal difficult. Arsenic removal can also be difficult because it cannot be destroyed in the environment. Arsenic can contaminate water supplies (including drinking water) when rain, snow, or industrial waste containing arsenic gets into lakes, underground water supplies, and rivers. Most arsenic ends up in soil, however some arsenic can also end up contaminating fish and other seafood because their exposure to arsenic leads to a build up in their tissues which humans may eventually consume.
In order to be exposed to arsenic you must come into contact with it by way of skin contact, breathing, eating, or drinking a contaminated substance. Release of arsenic from large areas such as coal-fired power plants does not always result in exposure, though it has the potential to make exposure more likely.
Arsenic removal in pressure treated wood is not possible, though there are safe alternatives currently on the market that can replace arsenic containing pressure treated wood. Though residential use of pressure treated wood is no longer legal, government officials do not recommend tearing down all existing CCA wood structures as a means for arsenic removal. Instead, they suggest steps to minimize potential exposure.
Arsenic removal plants have been built in the United States, often with the help of federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. These plants are responsible for arsenic removal from drinking water. This can be especially important in areas where drinking water contamination is prevalent. The laws regarding the levels of arsenic permissible in drinking water have changed in recent years, with the limit currently at fifty parts per billion.
Arsenic exposure can potentially cause harmful health problems, including cancer. Because arsenic removal is difficult it is possible to be injured by the effects of arsenic even when precautions are taken. If you have been exposed to arsenic and suffered as a result you should speak with an attorney who can advise you of your legal rights and options.
Pressure treated wood using arsenic, an effective poison for hundreds of years, was used in deck construction for many years but is no longer sold for residential use. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned most uses of arsenic as a pesticide...