Water-Borne Wood Preservation and End-of-Life Removal History and Projection

Abstract

Use of water-borne wood preservatives began in approximately the 1950s. Residential and commercial uses rapidly developed for products such as decking, fences, and other outdoor structures. Nearly all such products were treated by preservatives using arsenic as a major ingredient. The most common preservative was chromated copper arsenate (CCA). A smaller volume used ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate (ACZA). Preservative label changes made in 2003 limited uses of these arsenical treatments to industrial or agricultural type uses, such as poles, piles, ties, bridges, and fencing. Use volumes of preservative-treated wood continued to grow after the label change, but the types of preservatives used changed greatly. The amounts of water-borne treated wood reaching end-of-life and being disposed also continued to grow, reflecting the increasing inventory of volume in service. However, the volume of arsenical-treated wood being disposed peaked in approximately 2008 and is now only approximately one-quarter of that volume. Most of the arsenical-treated wood now being disposed consists of large, easily identified and separated pieces, such as round poles, piles, and fence posts and timbers, which can be easily managed separated from other wood construction and demolition (C & D) waste. Thus, managing C & D waste to limit arsenic contamination of potential products, such as mulch, will be much more practical than some have feared.