Re: [Antimony and Arsenic] arsenic source!!

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Forwarding from another group. Important information about arsenic. Please see info below - forward to others about this.

In a message dated 8/28/03 1:55:33 AM Eastern Daylight Time, vip@... writes:

Subj:[Antimony and Arsenic] arsenic source!!

Date:8/28/03 1:55:33 AM Eastern Daylight Time

From: vip@... (vip)

Reply-to: antimonyandarsenic

antimonyandarsenic

WESH.com

Arsenic Found In Red Mulch

WESH Investigation Uncovers Problem POSTED: 3:17 p.m. EDT August 22, 2003 UPDATED: 3:41 p.m. EDT August 22, 2003

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A WESH NewsChannel 2 investigation uncovered a new arsenic threat Thursday against homeowners and children.

It comes two years after the arsenic scare that closed Central Florida playgrounds, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

The investigation found some red mulch has high levels of arsenic, a known cancer-causing agent, and one popular home improvement store is now taking action.

Dozens of Central Florida playgrounds were closed two years ago because wooden equipment was found to have arsenic in it. Arsenic can cause cancer and people were worried it could poison their children.

A WESH NewsChannel 2 investigation uncovered the same type of arsenic-laced wood used to make playground equipment is being chopped up and made into mulch. It may be in your own garden or your child's favorite playground.

Bags of red mulch tainted with arsenic were found on local store shelves. WESH bought the mulch and sent samples to a state-certified lab.

State guidelines say the safe limit for arsenic in the soil in residential areas is 0.8 parts per million. For industrial areas, the limit is 3.7 parts per million. The red mulch we bought at Lowe's came in below state arsenic limits, but the red mulch bag we bought at Home Depot far exceeded state guidelines -- more than 20 parts per million of arsenic.

To be sure, we tested another bag of red mulch sold at the Home Depot on East Colonial Drive in Orlando. The result? The mulch there didn't have as much arsenic in it but still had more than the state allows for residential areas.

We tested both bags again at a second certified lab, Flowers Chemical Lab in Altamonte Springs, and again we found more arsenic in the mulch than state limits.

Experts said some of the red mulch is made out of recycled wood that's been pressure treated. It's the same type of wood removed from playgrounds two years ago because it had arsenic.

So what does Home Depot say about all this? Home Depot doesn't make its own mulch. The bags we bought are made by Florida Mulch in south Osceola County.

In a statement, Home Depot said they require their "mulch suppliers to certify they do not use any treated wood in their mulch ... Florida Mulch has previously given Home Depot written assurance that it does not use treated wood in its mulch."

Florida Mulch's owner insisted he doesn't.

"They make it plain not to use it, so we don't," Willard Palmer said.

"So there would never be any pressure-treated wood used in your facility?" WESH NewsChannel 2 investigative reporter Jack Fink asked.

"No, no ... I think, for the most part, labs are telling me certain grounds have high levels of arsenic, and its where the tree grows," Palmer answered.

Experts disagreed, saying while arsenic is a common metal found in the Earth's crust, trees don't have the high levels of arsenic that was found in the mulch. They said one likely source for the arsenic is pressure-treated wood.

Palmer said he would never knowingly sell mulch laced with arsenic.

"Who wants to sell or do something that would harm someone else?" Palmer said.

Now, because of the findings, Home Depot has removed Florida Mulch's products from all of its stores, pending results of Home Depot's own tests.

The arsenic-laced mulch has now caught the attention of state environmental leaders, who recently held a forum in Orlando to deal with the issue.

"I would say it's a public health concern," Department of Environmental Protection representative Bill Hinkley said.

It's a public health concern because arsenic from the mulch can leak into skin, the groundwater and places where children play.

"Does anyone watch the little kids go out and play in the mulches? What about the mom and the dad when they're out there? Have we actually measured the leachate -- the amount of arsenic that leaches out of the mulch and actually measured an impact on groundwater? No. We haven't done any of those studies ... but we believe there's enough of a concern there that we need to move forward as best we can," Hinkley said.

Not all red mulch is laced with arsenic. Some of it is made from all natural wood such as trees. Cypress mulch and pine bark are all natural because they come from trees.

So how do you know if your mulch has a lot of arsenic in it? It's virtually impossible to know by the naked eye, but concerned residents could have it tested. Copyright 2003 by WESH.COM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.