Mike Harris typed:
"Cindy" wrote in message
m...
Mike Harris typed:
Howdy folks,

On my way home yesterday I happened to drive down East 5th street
between Comal and Chicon (in front of Cafe Mundi). Workers have
removed the railroad tracks and have stacked up the ties in piles.

I don't know what their intent is, but if they're fixin' to
landfill them you might be able to grab a few before they haul
them off.

They've done that here too. But aren't the ties treated with
nasty stuff? I thought it was bad to use them.

Cindy

Creosote; the phenols don't migrate into the soil to any degree
particularly once they're well-aged. Uptake into plants is nil.

You may be thinking of CCA treated wood; jOhN posted a link to a
very well reasoned article in another thread recently.

The safety of either preservative is open to debate; although I
happen not to use either creosote or CCA treated wood in my garden
I would not have any particular objection to either. I'm exposed
to larger quantities of toxins from other sources than I would ever
be from treated wood; IMO it's ludicrous to worry about the
possiblilty of tiny traces of similar toxins ending up in my home
grown food.
Some people fear snakes and scorpions; some fear chemicals. I can't
determine for you where your comfort level is or how you should
weigh the risks against the benefits. If you are concerned about
leaching then by all means don't use railroad ties.

Well, I decided not to use railroad ties because they're too darn heavy for
me to move.....!

Cindy