Tests show high arsenic in 6 parks
Subject: Tests show high arsenic in 6 parks
Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 08:37:06 -0400
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulationcc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 09:07:46 -0400 EDT
Tests show high arsenic in 6 parks by Robin Harvey
SIX TORONTO PARKS have arsenic levels significantly higher than federal guidelines in the soil near playground structures made of pressure-treated wood, a Consumer Watch investigation has found.
The federal guideline for protecting human health, set by the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers, is 12 milligrams per kilogram, according to spokesperson Mike Gilbertson
Consumer Watch had soil from the playgrounds tested by an accredited lab, which found levels ranging from 16.5 to 31.8 milligrams per kilogram at five parks. One park had levels of 181 milligrams per kilogram.
After environmental groups raised concerns about the widespread use of pressure-treated wood preserved with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), Health Canada and wood manufacturers agreed this year to phase out use of the product in homes and parks by Dec. 31, 2003.
Arsenic has been found to leach out of CCA wood under certain circumstances.
CCA helps wood withstand the elements and is, in effect, a pesticide.
Arsenic causes cancer in humans. It is also a neurotoxin that can damage the brain and nervous system as well as the immune system.
The wood has been used in playground structures built across Toronto over more than 25 years.
Of the city's 800 play structures, 200 have CCA components, said Claire Tucker-Reid, general manager of Toronto Parks and Recreation. When told of the test results, Tucker-Reid said elevated levels were "a signal" of possible health risk.
Monica Campbell, manager of the environmental protection office of the city's public health department, said more soil tests would be needed over time to confirm whether there is a real health risk.
"We are not using (CCA wood) any more, because there have been a number of studies to show concern about arsenic (leaching out)," she said.
However, it's hard to quantify the health effects on children, and reactions to the chemical vary considerably, she said. Toronto plans to wait for the results of a Health Canada review of risks posed by the wood, expected by the end of the year, before it sets a policy on existing structures, she said.
Don Houston, of the Canadian Institute of Child Health, said children's exposure to arsenic should be kept to an absolute minimum.
"Children touch things and put their fingers in their mouth, " he said. "They are much more likely to ingest the soil. They can get some contaminants on their hands from just playing on the wood, and parents should wipe down their hands with a wet nap as soon as they are finished."
A recent Connecticut study, cited by Health Canada on its Web site, found soil samples taken beneath CCA wood decks had arsenic levels of up to 350 mg/kg.
But Dave McLaughlin, senior project co-ordinator at Ontario's environment ministry, says he has no concerns about health risks from the levels in Consumer Watch's tests. A survey found arsenic rates in Ontario parks overall ranged from 1 to up to 17 milligrams per kilogram, according to Toronto parks officials. However, only the top 2 per cent of samples had such high amounts of arsenic. The average would be "around 10," he said.
The simplest way to drastically reduce any risk of chemicals leaching from CCA wood is to coat it annually with an oil-based paint or sealant, according to the public health department.
But none of the CCA wood in Toronto playgrounds has been sealed that way. The 40 per cent of CCA structures in Toronto parks that have been treated at all were sealed only once, just after construction, with a latex-based sealant, which is not effective at stopping the leaching process.
It's important to note that the results of soil tests vary with the climate, season, type of soil, age of the structure and a host of other factors.
Also, a study released in 1997 by the University of Toronto and the University of New Brunswick found arsenic levels next to pressure-treated wood generally fall off to background levels a metre or less away from the structure. So the fact that a soil sample tests high doesn't mean an entire park or area has the same level of the chemical.
Consumer Watch took soil samples from nine parks chosen at random but with pressure-treated wood in their playgrounds. Samples at three parks - Riverdale Park (3.39), Woodbine Beach Park (4.76) and Rennie Park (8.52) - were well below the federal guideline of 12 milligrams per kilogram. The remaining six samples near pressure-treated playground structures were above that level: at parkland along Harbourfront's Norway Park (17.3), at Greenwood Park (16.5), behind Ted Reeve Arena (18.4), Withrow Park (22.3), Phin Park (31.8) and High Park's Adventure Playground (181).
Many factors could have contributed to the high arsenic level found near the High Park adventure playground, built by more than 4,000 residents four years ago. Jamie Bell, co-chair of the playground community building project, said no one told volunteers that the sawdust from CCA wood (which contains very high concentrations of chemicals) needed to be carefully disposed of. It was left to fall around the playground area, he said. Consumer Watch's soil test could have hit a "hot spot" of sawdust contamination.
The High Park playground has been sealed annually, but with a latex sealant designed only for use in the first year after building. It hasn't had the oil-based sealant recommended by the playground designer, who suggested annual maintenance.
The health department urges that CCA decks be properly sealed off and fenced so children can't play underneath. Never sand or burn CCA wood, as you can inhale damaging toxins.
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