Frequently Asked Questions
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What Additional Safety Equipment Do I Need While Working With Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Treated Wood?Use standard safety equipment & common sense when working with all types of building materials. Eye protection & dust masks should be used when sawing or machining any wood product, treated or untreated. Inhalation of sawdust can cause nose & throat irritation. Protecting your eyes from any foreign matter while sawing or machining is always a good safety practice.
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Can Wood Treated With Preservatives Be Burned?As with many building products, treated wood should not be burned in open fires, stoves, fireplaces or residential boilers. Treated wood should only be burned in an approved commercial or industrial permitted co-generation or incinerator facility that is properly permitted to accept the treated wood under applicable State & Federal regulations.
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Why Do Some Claim That Treated Wood Causes Cancer In Humans?The claims are unfounded in fact or in the scientific data. Laboratory & experimental investigations of the product have shown that treated wood has not caused cancer in humans. Epidemiology studies of wood-treatment plant workers & of carpenters showed no increased risk of cancer as a result of exposure to preservative treated wood.
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Does Contact With Treated Wood Playground Equipment, Fences Or Decking Pose Health Risks For Children?Wood that has been pressure treated is widely used for playground equipment & decking. There is no reason to avoid using wood treated with a waterborne preservative in the playground environment. A water repellent or wood sealer may be applied periodically to reduce cracking & splitting & thus the likelihood of children getting splinters.
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What If Treated Wood Comes Into Contact With Food & Water?Incidental contact of treated wood with drinking water as with piling, docks, piers or bridges is acceptable. However, treated wood should not be used where it is likely to become a component of food or animal feed or where the wood is likely to mix with foodstuffs. Treated wood should not be used for kitchen countertops or food cutting boards because food may become trapped in the knife cuts in the board, allowing bacteria to grow & create an unsanitary environment.
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What If My Child Drops Food Onto The Deck And Then Picks It Up And Eats It, Will It Cause Harm?No. There is little risk that the preservative will migrate from the wood to the food. You should however discourage this practice with your children no matter where their food falls.
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What Should I Do If I Get A Splinter From Treated Wood?A splinter from treated wood should be treated in the same way as a splinter from non-treated wood. Remove the splinter, wash the affected area, apply first aid ointment where appropriate and place a bandage on the wound if necessary.
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Treated wood must be treated to H5 or H6 to be used in water?Yes. Pressure treated wood is suitable for use when used as directed in nearly all docks, marinas, pilings and bulkheads and is widely used for these applications.
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Can Treated Wood Be Used In Gardening Projects?Yes. The extra durability of pressure treatment makes treated wood the perfect product for raised beds, terraced gardens, grape or tomato stakes, mushroom trays, vineyard supports, retaining walls, trellises, arbors, garden furniture, compost bins, walkway steps, flower bed edging and planters. Any assertion that gardeners should not grow edibles in planters or raised beds made with treated wood is without basis.