High Levels of Arsenic Found In Lumber From Home Depot & Lowe's
Washington, DC - Nationwide sampling in 13 metropolitan areas found harmful levels of cancer-causing arsenic on the surface of "pressure-treated" wood purchased at Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse stores, according to a report released today.
"The Poisonwood Rivals" by Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Healthy Building Network (HBN) reports that an area of arsenic-treated wood the size of a four-year-old's hand contains an average of 120 times the amount of arsenic allowed in a 6 ounce glass of water by the U.S. EPA. The highest contamination was found in a North Carolina sample at 500 times the acceptable safety level.
Arsenic sticks to children's hands when they play on treated wood, and is absorbed through the skin and ingested when they put their hands in their mouths. Based on the average arsenic level detected in lumber from 18 Home Depot and Lowe's stores, EWG estimated that one of every 500 children who regularly play on playground equipment or decks made from pressure-treated wood can be expected to develop cancer later in life as a result of this exposure.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/poisonwoodrivals/pr.html
Washington, DC - Nationwide sampling in 13 metropolitan areas found harmful levels of cancer-causing arsenic on the surface of "pressure-treated" wood purchased at Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse stores, according to a report released today.
"The Poisonwood Rivals" by Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Healthy Building Network (HBN) reports that an area of arsenic-treated wood the size of a four-year-old's hand contains an average of 120 times the amount of arsenic allowed in a 6 ounce glass of water by the U.S. EPA. The highest contamination was found in a North Carolina sample at 500 times the acceptable safety level.
Arsenic sticks to children's hands when they play on treated wood, and is absorbed through the skin and ingested when they put their hands in their mouths. Based on the average arsenic level detected in lumber from 18 Home Depot and Lowe's stores, EWG estimated that one of every 500 children who regularly play on playground equipment or decks made from pressure-treated wood can be expected to develop cancer later in life as a result of this exposure.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/poisonwoodrivals/pr.html
No comments:
Post a Comment