Hi Everyone,
I was browsing the net and came across this message and thought I
could help out. I work globally on the issue of cca wood after my
family became poisoned by the burning of it. I am a Canadian who runs
the world's largest list service and website on cca wood and arsenic
and even have some beautiful pics of Oz up on my site.
In your country this announcement was made recently
"The Board of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines
Authority (APVMA) has today put industry on notice that it intends to
stop the use of Copper Chrome Arsenate (CCA) as a timber treatment in
certain domestic situations such as decking and children's playground
equipment by the end of 2003 unless there is conclusive proof that
continued use is safe."
I made a submission to your government in it's present review and
worked on the ban in Europe and the phase out in Canada and the
States.
My website has a plant uptake report by Dr David Stilwell, one of the
world's leading authorities on cca wood and many other sections that
would be of interest to this group. I actually began my global work at
the urging of a singer/songwriter from Sydney, Dennis Aubrey, when I
bumped into him on the net. He even recorded a lyric I sent him and
the demo of it is up on my website too. I have made many friends in
Australia and hope to visit someday.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
My website is
www.noccawood.ca
Take care everybody and please keep safe.
Deborah
Terry Collins wrote in message ...
Red wrote:
On Sun, 03 Aug 2003 09:13:56 +1000, Terry Collins wrote:
Apparently not the case. There have been posts for a few years from the
USA that this stuff leaches the chemicals all the times. I vaguely
remember some enquiry in Australia into these claims being announced recently.
Quote from this CSIRO document here, Read the crops & mulch part
http://www.ffp.csiro.au/wft/wpc/ccafact1.html
Did you actually read it? And your point is?
Unfortunately the CSIRO is no longer a totally ethical concern. Its main
ethic now is getting money out of industry to survive. It did notice
that it didn't actually examine the break down products either.
Leaching
Nearly all the CCA fixed within timber remains there over its lifetime of
service; if it did not, the wood would rot and fail in much less than the 30-50
year period for which it is often guaranteed.
But how is CCA wood actually removed from the environment? It isn't. At
best, it just engs up in land fill slowly raising the background levels
of toxic chemicals.
However, a small amount of
leaching inevitably occurs. This can show up in small rises in arsenic levels in
the soil close to posts and poles; studies have found levels return to normal
within about 100 mm of posts and 100-200 mm of poles. Simple precautions, such
as those described below, can be taken to minimise any perceived risks from the
leaching.
So kids playing on it do ingest the chemicals on the surface! Which is
what some group in the USA is on about at the moment.
Crops
A number of studies have shown that CCA is not absorbed into above-ground food
crops such as grapes, tomatoes and cucumber. There are, however, some reports of
a slight increase in arsenic content in root crops such as carrots and beets
grown against treated timber, although the arsenic is in a safe organic form and
most of it is removed with peeling.
This seems contradictory to me. It says the vegetables are absorbing CCA
from the soil, then you remove the skin, which is generally accepted as
the best vitamin and mineral source. Sort of like having TOFU bugers
instead of red meat burgers.
I must admit, it never made good sense to me the bring any wood laden
with toxic chemicals onto my property in the first place. I'll continue
to be skeptical of any such claims about "perfectly safe".