Arsenic Abounds

A letter to the Editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian by Susan Chiang

June 15th, 2005

From Matthew Hirsch's article ("Between a Rock and a Hardwood," 5/25/05), one might think that we no longer have a problem with arsenic-treated wood. He briefly mentions how San Francisco used to buy wood treated with arsenic but that now it is banned from city purchasing.

Despite this ban on future wood (in 2003), it was estimated in 2002 that 90 percent of existing outdoor structures in the United States are made of arsenic-treated wood. This includes many backyard decks, picnic tables, and playground equipment. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, linked to lung, skin, and bladder cancer. Arsenic leaches to the wood's surface and can get on people's hands after touching the wood. Young children can ingest the arsenic after putting their hands in their mouths and are at increased risk of cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency recently issued an announcement recommending that people with arsenic-treated wood structures seal them at least once every year. People should be alerted to this avoidable health risk. To find out more about how to protect yourself from arsenic-treated wood, go to www.safe2play.org or call the Center for Environmental Health's toll-free hotline at 1-800-652-0827.

- Susan L. Chiang, MPH, MPP
Safe Playgrounds Project Director, Center for Environmental Health
Oakland