Hazards of Treated Wood
in Playground Equipment
By: A Statement from Chairman Hal Stratton
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
I am announcing that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) today scheduled a Commission Briefing for March 12, 2003 to
consider the petition to ban the use of chromated copper arsenate
(CCA) pressure-treated wood in playground equipment. The staff will
brief the Commissioners on the materials submitted in its briefing
package and the Commissioners will hear from interested stakeholders.
The CPSC staff has recommended that the Commissioners defer action
on the petition, pending finalization of the agreement between CCA
manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to phase
out CCA treatment of wood for most consumer uses by the end of 2003.
EPA expects to finalize this agreement in the near future and staff
plans to assess its impact. EPA is conducting a study of the risks,
which may be associated with CCA-treated wood. EPA's report is expected
later this year. In addition, the EPA and CPSC staffs plan to conduct
a study to determine effective measures of reducing the amount of
arsenic released from CCA treated wood. In the report submitted to
the Commissioners, CPSC scientists find that some children may face
an increased risk of developing lung or bladder cancer over their
lifetime from playing on playground equipment made from CCA pressure-treated
wood. This risk is in addition to the risk of getting cancer due to
other factors over one's lifetime. Not every exposed individual will
get cancer at sometime during his/her lifetime.
There are many risk factors that contribute to a person's risk for
developing cancer over their lifetime such as environment, genetics,
diet, and behaviors such as smoking. The staff maintains that an individual
child's risk from arsenic in CCA-treated playground equipment will
vary depending on many factors. Those include the amount of arsenic
released from the CCA-treated wood, the amount of arsenic picked up
on the hands, the number of days and years the child plays on the
wood, and the amount of arsenic transferred to the mouth by hand-to-mouth
activity. The staff considered these types of exposures in calculating
the increased lifetime risk of developing lung or bladder cancer.
CPSC staff states this increased risk to children is primarily due
to exposure to arsenic residue on children's hands followed by hand-to-mouth
contact. The report says transfer of the arsenic from the hand to
the mouth can occur during and after playing on pressure-treated wood
playground equipment.
To minimize the risk of exposure to arsenic from CCA-treated playground
equipment, the staff recommends that parents and caregivers thoroughly
wash children's hands with soap and water immediately after playing
on CCA pressure-treated wood playground equipment. In addition, the
staff recommends that children not eat while on CCA-treated wood playground
equipment. Arsenic occurs naturally in the air, soil, water, and in
some foods. While exposure to arsenic from background sources could
be much higher than the exposure from playgrounds for some children,
exposure to arsenic from CCA-treated playgrounds could be a significant
source of arsenic for other children on those days that include a
playground visit.
Several playground companies have already begun to use wood treated
with arsenic-free preservatives. In addition, playground structures
can be made of other materials that don't contain arsenic, such as
naturally rot-resistant wood (redwood and cedar), metal, plastic,
and composite materials. All of these materials could be used for
new construction.
Consumers may obtain a fact sheet on the findings of the Commission
staff by calling the CPSC hotline at 800-638-CPSC (2772). |