Burning pressure treated wood. The small scraps of lumber that seem to collect and multiply under back porches and in garages often make their way into wood stoves and fireplaces in the winter months. Follow these general safety tips to stay safe around treated wood. My answer is i dont know. However you should avoid exposure to the smoke or ash from burning treated wood.
Even more astonishing minute amounts of fly ash from burning cca pressure treated wood can have serious health consequences. Dimensional softwood lumber marketed for sale for outdoor use in the united states between 1975 and 2003 is likely to have been pressure treated with chromated copper arsenate cca a chemical compound that is a fairly effective insecticide and. If you suspect poisoning seek medical attention immediately. Dont burn treated wood.
This has serious implications for firefighters cleanup and landfill operations. If you follow safety precautions around treated wood you should not have any health effects as a result. The treated wood can release harmful or toxic chemicals dangerous to health. No one disputes that the ash from burning cca wood is highly toxic.
Chips sawdust and debris from treated wood are considered hazardous waste and should not be burned or disposed of at any location other than those specified by local government agencies. But id like to find out. Never burn treated wood. While burning pressure treated wood probably wont cause immediate harm its not a good idea.
In this article well explain why and what the alternatives are. It is illegal to burn cca wood in all 50 states. What is pressure treated wood. And as long as it is dry any species of wood will burn well.
Pressure treated lumber still has some arsenic though at amounts far less than several years ago. Toxic chemicals will be emitted in the smoke and ashes from treated wood can be hazardous to livestock or wildlife. But are they released in smoke through burning or do they remain in the ash. In fact pressure treated wood has wood preservatives including pesticides which are used in extending the lifespan of the wood.
Effects of burning treated wood. That is just one of several chemicals on and in the wood that can harm people animals and plants.