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CCA FAQs

• Is CCA treated wood safe?

  Yes, properly processed CCA treated wood products are safe when used as recommended.

• Does the use of treated wood affect the environment?

  First of all, treated wood comes from a renewable resource. Wood is our only major renewable building material. Like all wood, treated wood provides good insulation against noise, temperature, and electricity and preservative treatment extends the life of wood, reducing demands on forests and related resources. Moreover, the production of treated wood requires less energy than production of alternatives such as steel or plastics and, because of its lighter weight, preserved wood can often be installed with lighter equipment, thus causing less environmental disturbance.

• What additional safety equipment do I need while working with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated wood?

  Use standard safety equipment and common sense when working with all types of building materials. Eye protection and dust masks should be used when sawing or machining any wood product, treated or untreated. Inhalation of sawdust can cause nose and throat irritation. Protecting your eyes from any foreign matter while sawing or machining is good safety practice. Wearing gloves provides extra protection against splinters. Practicing good housekeeping hygiene at the completion of any construction project is always advisable. This includes washing hands and cleaning up sawdust in the work area. Other recommendations by Koppers can be found in the Important Information section of this website.

• How should I dispose of pressure-treated wood?

  Before considering disposal, you should consider reusing the treated wood product. Treated wood can be reused in a manner compatible with its original purpose, such as fence posts, retaining walls, landscaping, decks, general construction and the like. Poles may often be reused in landscaping projects.
  
  Homeowners can dispose of treated wood with normal trash for disposal in a landfill. Commercial and industrial users can also deposit treated wood in a landfill.

• Can wood treated with preservatives be burned?

  As with many building products, treated wood should not be burned in open fires or stoves, fireplaces, or residential boilers.
  
  Treated wood should only be burned in an approved commercial or industrial permitted co-generation or incinerator facility that is properly permitted to accept the treated wood under the applicable national and local regulations.

• What if treated wood comes in contact with food and water?

  Incidental contact of treated wood with drinking water, as with piling, docks, piers, bridges or horticultural stakes is acceptable. However, treated wood should not be used where it is likely to become a component of food or animal feed, or where the wood is likely to mix with foodstuffs. Treated wood should not be used for kitchen counter tops or food cutting boards.

• What should I do if I get a splinter from treated wood?

  A splinter from treated wood should be treated in the same way as a splinter from non-treated wood. Remove the splinter, wash the affected area, apply first aid ointment where appropriate and place a bandage on the wound if necessary.

• Where is wood treated with waterborne preservatives used?

  Wood treated with these preservatives is used in decks, fences, landscaping, docks, marinas, utility poles, mine shafts, bridges, boardwalks, highway sound barriers, cooling towers, agricultural stakes, walkways, trellises, railways, roller coasters, playground equipment, and pilings, among many other uses.

• Is treated wood suitable to use in the water?

  Yes. Pressure-treated wood is suitable for use when used as directed in nearly all dock, marinas, pilings, and bulkheads, and is widely used for these applications.

• Can CCA treated wood products be used in gardening projects?

  Yes. The extra durability of pressure treatment makes treated wood a good product for raised beds, terraced gardens, grape or tomato stakes, mushroom trays, vineyard supports, retaining walls, trellises, arbors, garden furniture, compost bins, walkway steps, flower bed edging, and planters.
  
  CCA treated wood products may be used to construct raised bed gardens. Some preservative may migrate from the treated wood into soil/water or may dislodge from the treated wood surface upon contact with skin. Wash exposed skin areas thoroughly. We recommend that a suitable thin plastic material be used as a barrier between the CCA treated wood and the raised bed garden soil.
  
  The use of a plastic barrier will also help keep the raised bed garden soil within the bed area. For proper drainage, the plastic material should not be used underneath the raised bed garden soil.

• Can livestock be housed in structures made with CCA treated wood?

  Yes, when used as recommended, properly processed CCA treated wood is considered suitable for use in construction of livestock fencing, cribs, pens, stalls, and other boarding structures. Studies have shown no harmful effects to test animals from skin contact or ingestion of CCA treated wood.
  
  Some livestock are prone to biting and eating the wood used for their enclosures. In studies where animals were fed CCA treated sawdust, there were no observed harmful effects either to the animals themselves or to their offspring.

• Why is pressure treated wood preferable to concrete, plastics, steel, and aluminum in many uses?

  Steel, concrete, and aluminum result in much higher construction costs, higher energy requirements in the process of creating substitute materials, greater air and water pollution and/or environmental protection costs, and higher dependence on foreign sources for imported materials.
  
  In addition, some types of steel may corrode, concrete may deteriorate in salt water, and plastic may not have the strength, durability, and structural integrity of treated wood. Since wood is a renewable resource, modern forest managers can ensure a continuous and plentiful supply, while wood preservation extends the nations forest resource.
  
  Finally, it is easy to make on-site modifications to wood structures. This is not only because wood is easier to work with than other materials, but also because woodworking skills are much more common than skills required for other materials.