Treated Wood Industry Plagued With Confusion, Controversy Over Preservatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Chuck Brennan, President

Treated Wood Industry Plagued With Confusion,
Controversy Over Preservatives

    October 21, 2002, Verona, NJ. The pressure-treated wood industry is under intense scrutiny as it voluntarily phases out the use of chromated copper arsenic (CCA) as a preservative for residential uses in favor of such alternatives as ammoniacal copper quaternary (ACQ) types, copper azole, and other chemistries. While public advocacy groups applaud the move away from CCA, the potential toxicity of the alternatives remains a question, based on preliminary research findings.
    Ironically, as more than 400 wood treaters across North America invest $40,000 to $200,000 per facility to convert to the arsenic- and chrome-free alternatives, treaters expect that within five years they will have to convert again to preservatives that are free of all heavy metals. Construction specifiers with architectural firms are concerned about how the alternatives compare to CCA. Advocates of "Green Building" and "Sustainable Development" concepts are also concerned, because they take a holistic or "cradle to grave" view of building materials. In that context, the least significant issue with treated wood may be that of human exposure while it is in use; the most significant issue is its ultimate disposal when it is taken out of service.
    The next generation of wood preservatives will usher in a new group of industry participants. Companies with strong positions in other areas of plant and material protection plan to capitalize on the developing opportunities in wood preservation. Leading candidates include such companies as Albemarle, BASF, Bayer, Buckman, Dow AgroSciences, FMC, Great Lakes, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Lonza, Syngenta, and others.    (more)
    At the same time, uses for treated wood and wood/plastic composites are expanding in both Canada and the United States. Six of the ten leading home builders in the United States are spray
applying borate-based termiticide pretreatments to the exposed wood of new homes as an alternative to soil treatments. In areas with severe termite or mold problems, whole house use of treated wood is being adopted. Builders in the Toronto area are using treated wood in new construction as a preventative against termites, while in Vancouver treated wood offers one defense against mold. Whole house use of treated wood is also being practiced in such areas as Louisiana where infestations of the very aggressive Formosan termite have resulted in extensive property damage.
    Research is underway worldwide to develop new, environmentally-friendly methods to preserve wood. These approaches include heat treatment, improved fixation of borate-based systems, the use of such naturally resistant plant extracts as nootkatone, metal-free, all-organic synthetic systems, and other technologies.
    The research report, Wood Preservatives: The Next Generation, will be published in November. Additional information is available from Brennan Research Group, phone: 973-571-9000, fax: 973-239-3177 or E-mail: brennanresgrp@juno.com.
       



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