Producers and government officials are now in talks that may lead to a phaseout of chromated copper arsenate (CCA), an anti-rot and termite-prevention compound used to treat wood for a variety of uses including outdoor decks, fences, and playground equipment.

Driving the talks are concerns that arsenic, a carcinogen, may leach from the treated wood. Those concerns have led EPA to review CCA's registration, while the Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering a petition from environmental groups seeking a ban on the use of the treated wood in playground structures.

Mel Pine, state government relations director for the American Wood Preservers Institute, acknowledges that EPA and the makers of CCA--Arch Chemicals, Osmose, and Chemical Specialties Inc. (CSI)--are "discussing a possible transition" from consumer uses. Such uses make up about 70% of the $4 billion of treated wood--mostly with CCA--sold annually in the U.S.

According to industry reports, there would not be an immediate ban on CCA. Instead, manufacturers would gradually cut production to give wood treaters time to move to alternative products. Industrial uses for utility poles and guard rails would continue. And the reports say a deal with EPA would also stop future risk assessments of CCA-treated consumer products.

If CCA suppliers were to agree to a transition, it would affect about 350 facilities that use some $150 million worth of CCA annually. Though Pine insists "there is no science today to show that CCA is a threat to human health or the environment," he says the three chemical suppliers are prepared with alternatives.

Arch is ready to supply a copper boron azole compound, while Osmose and CSI, a subsidiary of Rockwood Specialties, can supply ammoniacal copper quat. These alternatives are likely to push up the cost of pressure-treated wood to the consumer by 10 to 20%. Another alternative--"lumber" made from recycled plastics--is even more expensive.

According to the Healthy Building Network, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, all uses of CCA should be banned. The group also wants EPA to continue a full risk assessment of CCA-treated wood: "Policymakers have a right to know this information in order to make informed judgments about the safety of the billions of cubic feet of CCA-treated wood currently in service in parks, homes, public buildings, and playgrounds."

Elementis, which makes the CCA ingredient chromic acid in Texas, also calls for further risk assessments, but for a different reason. It fears a rush to judgment would take a product off the market before all the facts are known.

And if CCA producers and EPA do agree to restrictions, Elementis says, "global and U.S. demand for chromium chemicals would be reduced by around 5% and 30%, respectively. ... Elementis Chromium's global sales could be adversely affected by up to 15%."

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