Safety concerns cut down treated lumber used by millions

USA Today ^ | 28 Dec 03 | Peter Eisler

[SLB]

In three days, the pressure-treated lumber used for millions of backyard decks, fences and play sets will head into extinction, its production halted because its arsenic-laced preservatives are considered a cancer risk.

No one is ready for what comes next.

[Bluntpoint]

Another use for Mooses:

[ought-six]

Another example of over-reaction and mass hysteria brought about by the Nanny-staters and their legal lemmings. It is a literal impossibility to make the word perfectly safe from any and all exposures or chances of harm, but the liberals and the Nanny-staters will do everything in their selfish, narrow-minded power to erase all semblance of freedom in this country, and they will not stop until the world conforms to THEIR egocentric model.

[BlueLancer]

Yo ... Dighton ... get a load of #21 ...

I wonder if I should change my tag-line ...
BlueLancer
The Original Pøøp Møøse

[HamiltonJay]

Actually the risk isn't he wood directly, the problem is the arcenic can leach into the soil, where children play and inhale and eat it etc... similiar to lead.... its a small risk for sure, but it is a risk.

This isn't something that just happened, been several years warning this was going to happen. There are other pressure treatment methods that do not use CCA, methinks the wise person would have bought into the makers of those methods 2 years ago, and enjoy the boom they are about to get.

[Wally Cleaver]

Plastic decking...but it wasn't too long ago I heard a report that is you put blue vinyl on your house it would kill you. Would not surprise me if the "plastic industrial complex" aka the beast is behind this conspiracy.

[isthisnickcool]

We have one of these things in the back yard. The wood isn't gonna kill any kids. Some other part might though.

I made a mistake of calling it a "swing set". No, no, no said the sales guy, it's a "play system". I told him they might as well call it a Chevy because it cost more than my first car did.

[Fred Mertz]

I was thinking the cedar and redwood industry might be behind this vast treated lumber conspiracy ;^)

[Wally Cleaver]

You might have a point, Fred. If they are behind this conspiracy it should mobilize the tree huggers.

[dighton]

Nøøøøøøøøøø, døn't change the tagline!

Better ideå, collect royalties for the ø character, måybe five krønen eåch. Måk exemption für gøød friends of møøses.

[al baby]

This is ridiculous. The wood is only harmful if you eat 20 2x4's a day for 100 years

Well it looks like im going to have to cut back on that too my doctor told me to get more fiber in my diet so i started eating studs and and the treated ones are like bbq flavored to me

[RightWhale]

already on the market, fiberglass, plastic epoxies etc....

How do these plastics and resins stand up to cold? From what I have seen, they eventually turn to dust. Wood--good.

[sgtbono2002]

I went and looked at a picnic table made with RECYCLED plastic, It was $160.00 I could build 3 tables for that. I left it where I found it. Recycled you would think woudl mena a bit cheaper. He he. Think again.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

THIS IS A NATION OF PARANOID MORONS!Its every little thing with these idiots.These people are not physically sick BUT MENTALLY ILL!

[Ophiucus]

Eliminate arsenic from your environment and diet and you'll die. The human body requires small amounts of arsenic.

It's another bonehead study with fictionalized results - they have got to stop using mice and rats that are genetically predisposed to cancer for these dumb**s studies.

Remember the cardinal rule of toxicology:
There is no such thing as a toxic substance - there is only a toxic dose.

[KarlInOhio]

I was going to rebuild a section of privacy fence with these Boards of Death, but the weather got cold quickly so I have them in my garage until spring. If I stop Freeping, look for my arsenic poisoned body.

[xrp]

Why didn't Clinton do anything about this when he was in office?

[DefCon]

The same people manufacture and distribute the new chemicals as did the old chenmicals, so its no skin off their noses but maybe a trifle bit more money in their pockets. The new stuff costs a bit more, but not a lot more. For the pressure-treater, the transitioning process from the old stuff to new stuff costs a ton of bucks and many many small businesses can not justify an expense that they feel they can never recover. So the little guy just shuts his plant down as a result. Big business treaters can afford the up-front transition costs and pass those and increased operation costs through to consumer. That is why big business was behind the agreement with EPA.
Little business loses.
Big business wins.
Consumer loses.
Just one of many stories in a long, long, long, sordid tale of enviro-megabusiness conspiracies.

[Tailback]

Concrete.


You can die it, stamp it, form it, make houses out of it, and make siding out of it. It's also bulletproof if thick enough. Good stuff that concrete.

[monday]

"Well, it is pressure-saturated with arsenic."

Yep, supposed to keep the bugs and mold from eating the wood. The bugs and mold around my house don't seem to notice though. They must like arsenic.

Might be a little worried if I had a decking business,,, on the other hand, I haven't heard of people who install this stuff when it is fresh from the factory getting more cancer than other people.

I suspect the safety Nazis are simply trying to make life more expensive as usual. If they really wanted to save lives they would outlaw motor vehicles. Cars kill hundreds of thousands more people each year than pressure treated wood.

They will probably be next.

[searchandrecovery]

There goes my wood car idea.