Precautions On Wooden Play Sets
July 20, 2003

The New York Times

ON March 17, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reached a final agreement with producers of treated wood to discontinue consumer sales of lumber impregnated with chromated copper arsenate, a preservative that contains arsenic, by the end of this year.

The agreement is the result of a voluntary decision made by the chemical manufacturers in February 2002, and it applies to all residential uses of lumber treated with the preservative, often referred to as C.C.A.

The agreement applies to the sale of lumber intended for things like decks, picnic tables, landscaping timbers, residential fencing, patios, walkways and children's play sets. The E.P.A. says it does not believe there is any reason to remove or replace C.C.A.-treated structures or surrounding soil. Because children are at increased risk when exposed to C.C.A., however, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has regulatory authority over children's play sets, is recommending that homeowners take steps to protect children who may come in contact with arsenic that may leach out of the lumber used in play sets.

For those considering purchasing a new play set, the commission experts recommend using untreated lumber or lumber that has been treated with a preservative other than C.C.A.

Ken Giles, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in Bethesda, Md., said C.C.A. -- which contains chromium, copper and arsenic -- is a chemical preservative that protects wood from rotting and damage caused by insects. The substance, which has been used to pressure-treat lumber for outdoor use since the 1930's, is suspected to increase the risk of lung and bladder cancer among children who are exposed to arsenic that has leached out of the wood.

"We believe that hand-to-mouth behavior is the primary source of exposure to arsenic from C.C.A.-treated play sets," he said, adding that young children -- particularly those under age 6 -- can ingest the arsenic directly from hands that have come into contact with the chemical, or indirectly by touching food or toys that have been contaminated with the substance.

As a result, Mr. Giles said, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recommending that parents take steps to minimize the potential for their children to come into contact with arsenic that has leached out of treated lumber.

One way to do that, he said, is to apply a sealant to the lumber. "We're doing some weatherization testing right now to determine which coatings or sealants will be most effective in keeping the arsenic from coming out of the lumber," Mr. Giles said, adding that the organization should have recommendations for specific sealants and application procedures by early next year.

In the meantime, he said, parents should take steps to minimize the risks to children who are playing on C.C.A.-treated play sets. "Make the kids wash their hands after contact with any treated wood," Mr. Giles said. "And you should avoid giving them any food to eat while they are on the play set."

Lauren Sucher, communications director for the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization based in Washington, said homeowners can determine whether any arsenic is leaching out of their play sets by using a test kit the group has developed in conjunction with the University of North Carolina at Asheville's Environmental Quality Institute, a government-certified testing laboratory.

"The kit contains a small plastic template that you place on the surface of the wood," Ms. Sucher said. "The exposed area of wood inside the template is about 100 square centimeters in size, about the size of a small child's hand."

Consumers use wipes that come with the kit to swab the exposed area and then send the wipes back to the testing lab. "They're going to tell you how much arsenic is on your deck or play set," Ms. Sucher said. "And you want the number to be as small as possible."

The organization has three different kits: a $15 wood-wipe kit; a $15 "hot spot" test kit, which will identify high or medium levels of arsenic in the soil beneath or near a play set; and a $30 "detailed" kit, which will identify even low levels of arsenic in soil.

"If you find that your play set is leaching arsenic, and you can afford to replace it, that would be great," Ms. Sucher said. "If you can't afford a new set, you should seal the wood at least twice a year."

(The organization's Web site -- www.ewg.org -- contains additional information about C.C.A.-treated lumber and a form for ordering test kits.)

Those who decide to replace their play sets -- as well as those who are purchasing play sets for the first time -- have several safe options to choose from.

One such option is to use lumber that has been pressure-treated with a preservative other than C.C.A. Another is to use wood that has not been treated at all.

"We've been making play sets for more than 20 years," said Barrett Brown, president of CedarWorks, a company in Rockport, Me. "And we've always used northern white cedar because it's naturally rot-resistant and naturally splinter-free."

The company's cedar play sets -- which are more expensive than play sets made of pressure-treated pine -- range in price from $1,200 to more than $10,000. "Most people who are buying a nontreated play set are going to spend from $1,500 to $3,000," he said, adding that those who purchase a play set from CedarWorks generally assemble the set themselves, thereby saving the additional 10 to 15 percent it would cost to have a local dealer construct the set. (The Web site is www.cedarworks.com.)

David Seitz, vice president of Playnation Play Systems in Kennesaw, Ga., said his company sells play sets made only of redwood -- which, like cedar, is naturally rot-resistant -- or pine that has been pressure-treated with a preservative known as alkaline copper quaternary (or A.C.Q.), which is considered to be a safe alternative to C.C.A. "We offer everything we sell in either redwood or A.C.Q.-treated pine," Mr. Seitz said. "And we probably sell 80 percent treated pine."

"A.C.Q. pine and redwood are going to be more expensive than C.C.A.-treated pine," he said, adding that the safer alternatives can cost 20 percent or more than pine treated with C.C.A. (The company's Web site is www.playnation.com.)

Another alternative to pine treated with C.C.A. is lumber treated with a preservative licensed by Arch Treatment Technologies, in Smyrna, Ga., under the brand name Wolmanized Natural Select.

Huck DeVenzio, a spokesman for the company, said the preservative used in Natural Select is copper azole. The copper is the principal active ingredient, Mr. DeVenzio said, and it protects against termites and fungal decay. Protection against copper-tolerant fungi is provided by the azole, a chemical that is also used to protect fruit, peanuts and wheat.

Wolmanized Natural Select lumber -- which can be purchased from dealers in a number of states -- typically costs about 20 percent more than conventional pressure-treated lumber. (A list of licensed producers of Natural Select wood is available on the company's Web site at www.naturalselect.com).