Toxic Timber Dumping a Health Risk: Government Must Act

Wednesday, 30 July 2003 10:00

"Getting CCA treated timber out of playgrounds is only the first step," said Jane Castle, Total Environment Centre campaigner. "Toxic timber is currently being dumped into unlined landfills where arsenic can leach into the ecosystem and damage human health. Unless this hazardous material is disposed of responsibly, it will come back to haunt us."

"The current classification of CCA timber as an 'inert waste' must be changed and producers must take responsibility for the legacy they have created," said Ms Castle.

New studies have found that arsenic leaches out of treated timber and is a health risk. A US study found that the amount of arsenic wiped off a small area of wood about the size of a four year-old's hand-print far exceeded what environmental authorities consider safe. The World Health Organisation has confirmed that arsenic causes lung, bladder, skin and other cancers.

CCA treated timber has been targeted as a 'waste of concern' by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). Producers face Extended Producer Responsibility regulations if they fail manage their products more responsibly. The timber has been banned in Switzerland, Vietnam and Indonesia, and has been severely restricted in Japan, Sweden and Germany.

"The industry is problematic throughout the entire life-cycle of the product, not only during use and disposal. Three out of five timber preservation sites audited this year by the NSW EPA proved to be contaminated with arsenic, chromium and copper," said Ms Castle "Most sites were not properly maintaining drains, dams or treatment areas, which can lead to soil and groundwater contamination."
 

For further information

Contact
:
Jane Castle
Phone
:
61 2 9299 5680
Email
:
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WWW
:
http://www.tec.org.au/