CCA-Treated Wood Toxic

CCA-Treated Wood Toxic

I saw a copy of

EBN

Vol. 6, No. 3 which focused on disposal of CCA-treated wood as a problem, but implied that there are no problems associated with this product in use. I am enclosing an article that reviews work we have done demonstrating problems caused by the wood when used in aquatic environments.

Judith S. Weis, Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Rutgers University

Newark, New Jersey

Editor’s Note: We did not mean to imply that there are no problems with CCA-treated wood in use, only that these problems may not be as severe as the disposal issues. The article referred to by Dr. Weis, “The Effects of Using Wood Treated With Chromated Copper Arsenate in Shallow-Water Environments: A Review” from the journal

Estuaries (Vol. 19, No. 2A, p. 306-310, June 1996), documents significant effects of treated wood on a wide range of marine life.