Are there any health hazards to using treated lumber on interior projects?

Question

I'm planning a project that will involve multiple 4"*4" and am contemplating using either treated or untreated. The posts would be somewhat exposed. Would doing this lead to any potential health risks?

Answer 1

The EPA has restricted the use of CCA treated lumber for residential use due to toxins associated with the chemicals used to treat the lumber. CCA stands for Chromated Copper Arsenate. Simply put it's an arsenic-laced preservative. Not good. Alternatives out there are ACQ treated lumber which stands for Alkaline Copper Quat which has been shown to be safe for residential use. If you are still nervous about using it, you might consider using cedar or redwood which has natural capabilities to resist decay.

Answer 2

Read the label on the wood you are purchasing. I work at a lumber yard and every piece of lumber has a tag that will tell you the chemical used to treat it. The previous poster recognized ACQ (Safe), CQ(safe), and CCA(Toxic). Copper based preservatives are safe for humans. I still wouldn't eat it though.
Your real concern should be the wet wood. Typically pressure treated wood is still wet when it finds its way to the shelf. Wet wood is not something that you should be using indoors. Remember, before you purchased this wood it was most likely sitting outside getting rained on until it was time to sell. That wood was soaking up water and growing mold until the day it was opened up and put on the shelf. This is fine for outdoor lumber. After a little sunshine and rain the mold is gone.
I hate repeating good advice, but any untreated would definitely be the way to go. You can let the wood dry out and clean it off throughly.
In reference to the playgrounds that were shut down, they were built before the ban on arsenic in residential treated lumber applications. The arsenic leached into the soil.

Answer 3

I live in Florida and several play-grounds have been shut down because of the toxic effect of treated wood.It all has to do I guess if direct contact is possible by children or pets. I hope this helps with your decision.From the net: Alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) and copper-boron-azole (CBA) treatments are other alternatives to CCA treated wood. These two chemicals do not include either arsenic or chromium, both are on EPA's list of hazardous chemicals, but contain copper which can also leach into the environment. In early 2002, the EPA announced a phase-out of CCA treated wood products for residential applications to be completed by December 31, 2003.

Answer 4

Definitely use untreated indoors. They have changed the regulations on treated wood lately but it's still not a good idea to use inside. I read an article about a family who was getting sick and didn't know why. They thought it was their air conditioning so they called a repairman. He told them it was their recently installed deck. He could see the chemicals dripping off of it from the rain & stuff. So, if they were getting sick and the deck was outside you can imagine how bad it would have been if the wood had been inside.

Answer 5

Its true all these glues are excellent but I'm afraid for salt treated lumber when using the proper fasteners like screws, lumber locks and through bolts any glue is unnecessary and also after just a short time will become obsolete next to the fasteners. I don't mention nails because it isn't shear strength we need here. Its holding power.

Answer 6

Leave the heavy treated timber for outside

Inside you could use a light boric treated(internal framing) timber

OR

Go for a natural hardwood (expensive) and use a finish like boiled Linseed oil (some what basic) to seal it and give it a light finish

OR

Go for a timber that has a naturally high turpentine level that will stop any timber mite.

Hope this helps

Answer 7

seeing as how the "Nanny State" has taken over with regs on everything......

all I can say is I've used nothing but treated lumber down here in the islands for 30 years, including bar and restaurant tables and chairs, and seen no ill effects......other than splinters, which cause REAL ugly pus blister as the CCA poisons interact with the body......

Answer 8

get the untreated!!!!! treated contains way too many chemicals such as arsenic in some cases...holy crap!

Answer 9

i wouldn't use treated wood inside. thats for out side projects.only