As the current environmental movement continues to grow and expand into new areas of awareness concerning the health of our planet and its inhabitants, we are faced with daily additions to the enormous database already compiled by government, science, industry, associations and individuals. To date, coupled with the careful interpretation and use of the information contained in this database, Canadians have made tremendous progress towards ensuring the sustainability of our environment. Unfortunately, not all of the information in our "environmental database" is collected, analyzed or reviewed in the same manner...

All theories and ideas are equally valid until a complete, peer-reviewed science-based study either proves or disproves the theory or idea. This is why it is important to check the validity of any information on which an important decision must be made; the source of the information may be inaccurate or based on suspicion. Until it was disproved by science, most people once believed that the sun revolved around the earth.

In 1997, the wood preservation industry found itself under attack by an overzealous "environmental" club. NCAMP, the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, a U.S.-based group, teamed up with the Sierra Club, a Canadian-based group, in an effort to destroy the wood preservation industry and promote the use of alternative, non-renewable, manmade products where preserved wood has been used safely and effectively for decades. Unfortunately, this group's information appeared to be based on their own personal agenda, not sound facts and peer-reviewed scientific data. Their published "report" was filled with emotionally charged claims with no science or research to back them up. Most of the claims made were immediately discounted by existing scientific evidence.

Innuendo Versus Fact

NCAMP made frightening, unfounded allegations such as: "Because they move freely in air, water and soil, they threaten human life. In addition to causing both short- and long-term health effects - from extreme irritation to nerve damage to spontaneous abortions to death, Penta and creosote are linked to disruption of the endocrine system. This means they can disrupt the basic messages of life, affect sexual traits, fertility, reproduction and the functioning of the nervous and immune systems. These oestrogen mimics have been linked to breast cancer and prostate cancer."

Taken at face value, such a statement would frighten even the hardiest of us. The truth is, the preservative in pressure treated poles does not aggressively leach into the ground of waterways, drinking water supplies or adversely affect marine life. The toxic nature of the preservatives used in the development of pressure treated wood, is not the same when the preserved wood is in its final form. Treated wood does not cause cancer in humans. Laboratory or experimental investigations of the product have not shown that treated wood causes cancer in humans. Epidemiology studies of wood treatment plant workers and carpenters show no increased risk of cancer as a result of exposure to preservative treated wood. In order to confirm that treated wood was not contributing to a cancer hazard in humans, a series of research studies on the health status, including cancer incidence, among workers at wood treating plants were conducted. By nature of their profession, wood treaters have the greatest degree of contact with treated wood and wood treating pesticides and are presumably the population at greatest risk from suffering any adverse health effect as a result of exposure to treated wood. Three independent studies conducted on wood preserving workers' long-term health status, and interpreted by professional epidemiologists, provided evidence that workers exposed to arsenic and chrome from preserved wood are at no increased health risk because of exposure. The workers in fact, did not experience illness of any kind, including cancer of any type, at a greater incidence than workers not involved with treated wood. Clearly, NCAMP's report author's research was incomplete.

Hype Not Right

Our media craves frightening, controversial story lines. One syndicated show, Hard Copy, probably picked up the lead from NCAMP's tactful and "larger than life" press release and compiled their own emotionally driven, unfounded charges about the dangers of treated wood in children's playground equipment. On May 8, 1997, amidst stories about Liz Hurley's spanking fame, sexy Latin soap operas, Farrah Fawcett's alleged stealing form her boyfriend's ex-lover and a Hawaiian firefighter who was unhurt after being engulfed by flames, Hard Copy broadcast the segment titled "Playing with Poison". The principal source of information, it appears, was the editor of Organic Gardening, a magazine whose editorial philosophy opposes the use of pressure treated wood.

EPA Approved

One of many things the Hard Copy writers forgot to include in the story was the opinion of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who they had solicited for information with a series of 16 questions presented to the Agency. EPA, in response to one Hard Copy question, stated the following: "Based on our evaluation, EPA has no risk concerns to public health, even children, from the use of pressure treated wood. As part of our evaluation in the 1980s, EPA reviewed a study conducted to determine the safety of wood preservatives used on playground equipment. The study concluded that CCA used as a wood preservative does not pose an acute or chronic (non-carcinogenic) toxic hazard to children playing on treated wood."

Both of these cases of misinformation serve as reminders that, while remaining open to new theories and ideas, we must use caution and competent scientific review when judging the merits of any new concept. The Canadian Institute of Treated Wood is actively involved in the compilation and dissemination of information regarding the manufacture and use of preserved wood products. We have a wealth of information generated through independent, peer-reviewed scientific studies to substantiate that preserved wood products are both safe and effective. A growing body of evidence is also suggesting that preserved wood products are not only more environmentally friendly to manufacture than some of the alternative materials a few groups would like us to use are; they may also have less whole life-cycle effect on our environment.