Backyard decks may pose danger: arsenic poisoning

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Backyard decks may pose danger: arsenic poisoning

MICHAEL GROLL/Buffalo News

By HOLLY AUER

News Staff Reporter

2/8/2002

Once safe havens for outdoor play, backyard decks and playgrounds are now at

the center of a health controversy one local doctor is calling " the new lead

poisoning. " Dr. Cutler, a Niagara Falls general practitioner, is

treating eight developmentally disabled children who have shown abnormally

high arsenic levels. Cutler and some of the sick children's parents believe

that the wood used to construct their outdoor decks are to blame in several

cases.

" We learned the hard way from lead that you don't need to be acutely exposed

to get poisoned, " he said. " Playing around on one of these playgrounds or

decks every day might be enough to get kids sick. "

Ninety percent of the lumber used to construct decks, outdoor playgrounds

and picnic tables is injected with Chromated Copper Arsenate, a pesticide

that prevents weathering, rot and pest infestation, according to the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency. Health problems associated with arsenic

found in the pressure-treated wood used to build the decks and playgrounds

has caused the EPA recently to open a study of the possible health risks for

children.

Used properly, experts say, there is no danger in having the

pressure-treated wood around the house or playground. The risk comes only

when burning, sawing or sanding the wood, and in ingesting the chemicals

after contact, such as if a child were to suck his thumb or lick his fingers

after crawling on a deck or playing on a wooden playground.

That's what Laurette Janak believes happened to her daughter.

In October, Janak and her husband sanded the back deck on their 18-year-old

Town of Boston house while their 6-year-old daughter played nearby,

breathing in the dust. They had no reason to believe the work was dangerous,

and afterward, continued to spend time playing on the deck.

" It's like a playpen for her, " Laurette Janak said. " She's not tall enough

to climb over the sides, and her head's too big to fit through the slats. I

knew she was safe out there, but then it made her sick. "

A month later, Janak noticed exhibiting a sudden, peculiar hand

posture: Her fingers curled up like flippers, and she could no longer grip

things tightly. has Down syndrome, but before November, she had always

been able to throw a ball gracefully, pick up objects and hold things

normally. Bouts of insomnia and other unusual neurological symptoms soon

followed the new hand disability.

When Janak sought medical help in early December, doctors brushed off the

symptoms as additional evidence of Down syndrome. An Internet search for

's symptoms convinced Janak that her daughter had contracted mercury or

lead poisoning. She demanded testing for metal poisoning, and her suspicions

proved correct - 's results revealed elevated lead and mercury levels.

But the arsenic test was most striking. 's body contained nearly four

times what is considered a safe level of arsenic in humans. Shocked doctors

initially accused Janak of poisoning her daughter. A frantic search to

determine the arsenic's source pointed to the family's deck. Late last

month, a test revealed that it contains abnormally high levels of arsenic.

More susceptible

Developmentally disabled children have a tendency to mouth objects, making

them potentially more susceptible to poisoning from metals such as arsenic

or mercury. Sealants are believed to greatly minimize the danger of the

chemical treatment, especially when used every two years. Pressure-treated

wood that has been sealed is considered nearly risk-free for arsenic

rub-off.

" Having a piece of arsenic-treated wood around someplace isn't inherently a

danger at all, " said Nina Habib Spencer, an EPA spokeswoman. " But when you

start cutting into it with a rotary saw or something, then it can definitely

become a problem. "

Some scientific studies, Cutler said, indicate that children with

disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome have a genetic flaw that

prevents them from excreting metals the same way normal children do. Even

routine exposure to mercury in seafood and vaccines, or arsenic in ground

water, could add up to dangerous levels over time.

Last fall, the EPA launched a retail-store labeling campaign with the

American Wood Preservers Association to alert consumers to the potential

hazards. Since pressure-treaters use varying strengths of chemicals in their

lumber, the EPA doesn't keep statistics on the average amount of arsenic

present in mass-marketed pressure-treated wood. But swipe tests performed by

the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental

watchdog organization, found arsenic ranging from 18 micrograms to 1,020

micrograms on a cloth the size of an average 4-year-old's handprint. By

contrast, the EPA's allowable daily exposure level for arsenic in drinking

water is 10 micrograms.

But EPA and lumber industry officials say most health hazards associated

with pressure-treated wood can be avoided by following safety procedures.

Orange labels on treated lumber at some Buffalo-area home improvement stores

caution users to wear protective gear - gloves, mask and goggles - when

sanding or sawing the wood.

Another option, though costly, is to avoid pressure-treated lumber

altogether. Redwood and cedar are naturally rot-resistant, and wood-plastic

composite building materials are also available.

Greater risks for children

Barring these precautions, children are the biggest target for the poison's

ill effects.

" Kids are closer to the ground, playing all the time, and they're inhaling

more air than an adult in order to help their bodies grow, " said the EPA's

Habib Spencer.

The risks grow greater still for children with developmental disabilities.

" Kids with disabilities tend to experience the world through their mouths, "

Janak said. " If they see something new, instead of just feeling it, they

might go up and put their tongue on it. "

and other children with these tendencies often are diagnosed with

pica, an eating disorder marked by a craving to eat non-food items like

dirt, soap and clay. It strikes most often in pregnant women and children

with developmental disorders like autism or mental retardation.

Lead poisoning, for instance, often occurs when children chomp on chips of

lead-based paint, which imparts a slightly sweet taste, said Cutler, who

treats many children with autism and Down syndrome. When tests reveal

dangerously high lead levels in their bodies, it's easy to trace the source.

" Kids just think it's candy, and they'll peel piece after piece off the

wall, " he said.

Janak said may have chewed or licked parts of their deck over the

years, and she frequently put her hands in her mouth after playing on it.

On a recent afternoon, swung a lip balm on a pink string in front of

her face, transfixed, for more than an hour. A steady stream of saliva

dripped out of her mouth, and she ground her teeth together nonstop. All

these behaviors appeared within the past few months, and all are consistent

with several types of metal poisoning, Cutler said.

Other symptoms of metal poisoning may include pain or tingling in the legs

or arms, motor-skill trouble, or compromised immunity to colds and viruses.

Signs of acute exposure to arsenic - usually only seen in farmers who use

arsenic pesticides - include blistering or rashes at the source of contact.

is undergoing treatment, which requires medication that binds to

metals in the body and excretes them through the urine. But since such drugs

are known to suppress bone marrow function - and deplete resistance to

infection - children must be treated more slowly than adults, and it could

be many months before they see improvement, Cutler said.

Diagnosis disputed

American Wood Preservers Association spokesman Mel Pine questioned Cutler's

diagnosis, stating that in the 70-year history of Chromated Copper

Arsenic-treated wood, there haven't been any scientific studies published

establishing a link between ill health and proper use of pressure-treated

wood.

" It shouldn't be that when you find a child with a high arsenic level and

some other problems then you say, " Oh, these two things must be related,' "

Pine said. " They may be wasting a lot of time searching for the source of

this arsenic when they could be looking for the real problem. "

The skepticism spills into the medical establishment, too. Cutler said

Janak's initial diagnostic experience illustrates where the medical

community's awareness of arsenic poisoning lies: off the radar screen.

For questions about pressure-treated lumber, consumers may call the American

Wood Preservers Institute at (800) 282-0600 or the EPA National Pesticides

Telecommunications Network at (800) 858-7378.

e-mail: hauer@...

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