I would like to get some information on some work I had done recently.
My mother was recently diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. I own a two bedroom home (with three kids). I did not know what shape my mother would be in after surgery and had to come up with a third bedroom within about four days.
We decided to convert the garage and move in there ourselves, shift the kids into our bedroom and give the only 1st floor level room to my mother, anticipating mobility issues.
We wanted to raise the floor in the garage to get off the concrete and the contractor used pressure treated wood as the structure. Over that is placed plywood (primed), a carpet pad, and carpet. None of the pressure treated wood is exposed inside the room. When completed, our boys (8-11 yr) saw the room and thought it would be “cool” for themselves.
Now I think we made a big mistake in our haste and might have been misinformed. I am really worried about the kids being subjected to the presence of those chemicals in the wood.
Any knowledgeable comments would be appreciated.
Replies
There is no danger in this instance.
It takes heat higher than you will have in there and/or acidic chemical reaction to release the arsenic from it's bond. Then the children would need to come into contact with it and ingest it before it could hurt them. Now, if it were to catch on fire and they breathed the smoke, it might be a little more dangerous than ...
You get my drift.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
Given the material I have read MHO is that you needn't worry. This assumes some conditions: The kids don't remove the carpeting, pad and plywood and start fondling the treated lumber. For any ill effects to occur the children must ingest the toxins. These toxins are solid and unlikely to wander around under their own power.
Rain can wash them from a deck into soil and burning pressure teated wood creates poisonous smoke. Handling PT lumber can, especially if it is still wet from the treatment plant, transfer toxins to the hands. Eating or smoking without washing them can allow crud to get into your system. This can lead to chronic low level poisoning in careless carpenters. Mostly this poisoning shows no symptoms unless some other problems add to the load on the body.
PT lumber is injected with powerful poisons that protect it from insects and fungus. If you were to eat the wood you would get sick or die just like the termites. Don't eat it, smoke it and wash your hands after handling it and you and your boys should be fine.
"Don't eat it, smoke it..."
You hear that Clifford? Don't smoke it!
Tom,
I don't like using PT lumber because I have concerns about it's toxicity, too.
However, I agree with others here that you're safe in this instance. It's not in direct contact with the kids, and there's no water to potentially bleed out the toxins.
Ragnar
For more piece of mind, I agree with the others. It's very well covered...I wouldn't worry.
I think the professional fear-mongerers and revisionists are getting entirely too much attention and credance.
First of all, arsenic (and chromium, the main additives in PTW) are not toxins. Poisons, yes, but not toxins. Check almost any standard dictionary, and you will find that a toxin is the product of living organisms, while arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral - and element. I think the FMAR's like to use "toxic" to describe anything they don't like because its a much more sensational and inflamatory word than "poison" --- sort of grabs you right behind the belt buckle, and really gets your attention, don't it? And by the same token, arsenic is not and never will be a carcinogen, inspite of what you read on the net.
Secondly, to remain effective, the preservatives must bind to the wood in a relatively permanent fashion - - If the CCA(or ACA) were to leech out of the wood when it got wet, there would be no point in using it outdoors / underground / underwater because it wouldn't last any longer than untreated wood. Admittedly, when first treated, there is some residue left on the surface of the wood when the treating solution dries, but most of this is washed off by the first rain when used outside, or if desired, can be easily removed by washing, etc.
Arsenic is not absorbed through the skin, but must be swallowed to affect the body. The carpenter who sawed the wood without wearing a respirator might be at danger fron inhaling any sawdust floating in the air, but only because the natural filtering system built into our noses would catch that dust in a layer of mucus and transfer it to the back of our throat. from where it would be swallowed.
Arsenic will not evaporate or vaporize unless burned, and it will not creep out and hide somewhere and wait to grab someone passing by. I don't know about your building code, but mine (Canada) calls for any wood in contact with a concrete floor or foundation below grade or within 10 inches of it must be PTW, or be protected by a hefty waterproof membrane.
And in small doses, arsenic acts as a tonic-- as well as a pick-me-up for the nervous system, it will stimulate hair growth, and give it a nice shine. (Note to the follicularly challenged among us---DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!) See the current issue of Discover magazine.
So relax. Unless the boys are tearing up the carpet and subfloor and eating that PTW, they are likely getting more arsenic from one glass of drinking water than they will get in a lifetime of playing in that room.
Doc - The Old Cynic
Good judgement comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement