EPA Rejects Proposed Lumber Treatment

[ Washington , DC ] The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday rejected an industry request to use a chromate-based wood preservative for lumber in decks and playground equipment, saying it poses a risk of cancer and other health problems. The Forest Products Research Laboratory had requested that EPA approve the residential use of the preservative acid copper chromate, or ACC, on pressure-treated lumber. Jim Jones, head of EPA’s pesticide office, said the preservative poses a cancer risk to workers who apply the material and those who process the lumber because of its high concentration of a particularly toxic form of chromate. The preservative also would pose other health risks, including severe skin irritation, to homeowners, children and contractors who come in contact with the lumber, he said.

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