[Grammy]

It seems to me they are going wwwaaaayyyyyy overboard with this protection from poisoning bit. Heavy gloves, fume case, special protection for the public? Now, granted, it is probably not something you want your toddler chewing on, but the artists and assistants used this for more than 5 minutes and more than one project before they died, and somebody lived in or otherwise used the place where it was painted for some time as well. I don't think my walking past it, going "oh, how pretty" and walking on would put me at substantial risk.

[blam]

I'm a retired chip-maker and we used arsenic in that business...we took extreme precautions with our arsenic 'sources' and the operators had to do a yearly blood test. Also, 'treated' wood was changed just within the last 2-3 years because it was treated with some form of arsenic. The labels on the wood said to use gloves when working with it and do not breathe the fumes when cutting it. A lot ofchildren's playground equipment was built with this wood. The wood is coated with copper -----(?) now.

[blam]

CCA Pressure Treated Wood - Q & A

"If CCA-treated wood is safe, why change?

"The fundamental safety of CCA-treated wood has not changed, but perceptions in the marketplace have. The preserved wood industry stands by the safety of all wood products treated with CCA, which have been used for nearly 70 years. All wood preservatives go through rigorous safety testing and government approval procedures based on sound scientific research before they are ever used in consumer products."

"Although treated wood represents a tiny fraction compared to all the natural sources of arsenic in the environment, the preservative manufacturers have developed new lines of non-arsenic based preservatives to be responsive to current and anticipated customer interest."