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Review
. 2021 May 21;18(11):5518.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115518.

Environmental and Health Hazards of Chromated Copper Arsenate-Treated Wood: A Review

Simone Morais  1 , Henrique M A C Fonseca  2 , Sónia M R Oliveira  3   4 , Helena Oliveira  5 , Vivek Kumar Gupta  6 , Bechan Sharma  6 , Maria de Lourdes Pereira  3   7
Affiliations
Review

Environmental and Health Hazards of Chromated Copper Arsenate-Treated Wood: A Review

Simone Morais et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Copper chrome arsenate (CCA) water-borne solution used to be widely used to make timber highly resistant to pests and fungi, in particular, wood products designed for outdoor use. Nowadays, CCA is a restricted chemical product in most countries, since potential environmental and health risks were reported due to dermal contact with CCA residues from treated structures and the surrounding soil, as well as the contamination of soils. However, large quantities of CCA-treated timber are still in use in framings, outdoor playground equipment, landscaping, building poles, jetty piles, and fencing structures around the world, thus CCA remains a source of pollutants to the environment and of increasing toxic metal/metalloid exposure (mainly in children). International efforts have been dedicated to the treatment of materials impregnated with CCA, however not only does some reuse of CCA-treated timber still occur, but also existing structures are leaking the toxic compounds into the environment, with impacts on the environment and animal and human health. This study highlights CCA mechanisms and the documented consequences in vivo of its exposure, as well as the adverse environmental and health impacts.

Keywords: CCA-treated wood; arsenic; chromated copper arsenate; chromium; copper.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
General overview of the potential environmental and human health impacts of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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