Europe Bans Timber Kiwi Kids Play On
Click
Here to Add Comment Subject:
Europe Bans Timber Kiwi Kids Play On
Date:
Fri, 17 Jan 2003 09:20:50 -0500
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
Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Europe bans timber Kiwi kids play on By CHRIS MIRAMS - 11 January 2003
Arsenic-treated timber - widely used in New Zealand - has been banned by the European Union because of unacceptable health and environmental risks. The ban, to be in force in the 15 member countries by June 30, 2004, follows a year-long assessment of arsenic and the wood treatment it is used in - chromated copper arsenate - by the EU's scientific committee on toxicity, ecotoxicity and the environment. Arsenic-treated timber continues to be used in New Zealand, often in playgrounds.
The committee found there were threats to human health from the disposal of the timber "and in particular risks to children's health from the use of CCA-treated wood in playground equipment".
The ban prohibits the use of the timber in residential or domestic constructions and "where there is a risk of repeated skin contact".
Arsenic-treated timber has also been banned from use in marine waters, for agricultural purposes other then fenceposts and for any product intended for human and/or animal consumption. The ban applies to all new construction.
The move follows the phasing out of CCA in Canada and the United States last year and leaves New Zealand and Australia as the only developed Western countries not to have acted against the product. No New Zealand government ministry has commissioned or conducted any testing of CCA.
The Environmental Risk Management Authority began a literature review of CCA last month to decide whether it should be reassessed. Science and analysis manager Donald Hannah said the agency had been aware of the EU decision for a few weeks and that the ban was not "a knee-jerk reaction" to any campaign. "We are interested in the reasons why they've done it and how applicable those reasons are to our scenarios. There will be quite a lot of relevance to New Zealand."
The EU ban has not jolted the Health Ministry into considering any safety warnings on structures made from CCA. A spokeswoman said the ministry had no comment on the European ban.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2182569a10,00.html
If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing information on pesticides, please email us at list@safe2use.com.