How bad is burning pressure treated wood?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How bad is burning pressure treated wood?

Posted: 4/16/2013 5:38:51 PM EDT

My neighbor salvaged a bunch of it from some construction site - painted, no less - and was burning it in his fireplace. I convinced him to let me haul it to the dump with my pickup, and offered him some real firewood, but he declined. Today I notice that he's got another big pile of it, about a face cord. I can smell it from our house.

Posted: 4/16/2013 5:40:25 PM EDT

[#1]

No problem at all, if you like breathing arsenic.

I just tore down a big play fort in my back yard and have a giant pile of the stuff. I should get him to come haul it away for me.

Posted: 4/16/2013 5:40:31 PM EDT

[#2]

Not sure about todays chemical makeup but I know it used to have arsenic in it

Posted: 4/16/2013 5:41:04 PM EDT

[#3]

I'm really not sure, but I've burned it outside (probably illegal?). No way I'd burn that shit in my fireplace smelling like it did.

Posted: 4/16/2013 6:02:38 PM EDT

[#4]

All pressure treated lumber is full of chemicals intended to kill things. Nuff said?

Posted: 4/16/2013 6:05:01 PM EDT

[#5]

Chromated copper arsenate. Educate your neighbor if you can, if you can't and you are downwind of him use whatever legal authority needed to make him stop.

He's gotta be an idiot

Posted: 4/16/2013 6:32:53 PM EDT

[#6]

Dibs on guns. A lot of areas it is illegal to burn PT wood.

Posted: 4/16/2013 6:35:26 PM EDT

[#7]

Scroungers and their families have died from burning scrap PT is wood stoves.

Posted: 4/16/2013 8:47:40 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Scroungers and their families have died from burning scrap PT is wood stoves.

Nothing good comes from burning pressure treated wood, smoke/gas and ashes are all toxic.

First google hit:
http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/71229.htm

Incineration of CCA wood does not destroy arsenic. It is incredible, but a single 12 foot 2 x 6 contains about 27 grams of Arsenic - enough arsenic to kill 250 adults. Burning CCA wood releases the chemical bond holding Arsenic in the wood, and just one Tablespoon of ash from a CCA wood fire contains a lethal dose of Arsenic. Worse yet, Arsenic gives no warning: it does not have a specific taste or odor to warn you of its presence. No one disputes that the ash from burning CCA wood is highly toxic: It is illegal to burn CCA wood in all 50 states. This has serious implications for firefighters, cleanup and landfill operations.
Even more astonishing, minute amounts of 'fly ash' from burning CCA pressure treated wood, can have serious health consequences. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported on a family that burned CCA in a wood stove for winter heating. Their hair fell out, all family members suffered severe, recurring nosebleeds, extreme fatigue and debilitating headaches. The parents complained about 'blacking out' for periods of several hours, followed by long periods of extreme disorientation. Both children suffered frequent seizures described as 'grand mal'. The symptoms were finally traced to breathing minute amounts of arsenic laden dust leaking from the furnace as fly ash. The family's houseplants and fish died, too, victims of copper poisoning from the same dust.

Posted: 4/16/2013 8:48:01 PM EDT

[#9]

The smoke is toxic, and the ash is also highly toxic.

Wouldn't want to live next to that fool

Posted: 4/17/2013 4:32:46 AM EDT

[#10]

jesus!!

Posted: 4/17/2013 4:58:30 AM EDT

[#11]

Sounds like it's time to call local environmental protection and county public health offices. He's endangering everyone around him, and all the plants and animals in the environment.

Posted: 4/17/2013 5:13:57 AM EDT

[#12]

This story sounds familiar. Another arfcommer had a similar thing happen. Ended up purchasing the same quantity in untreaded wood, and replaced. Without permission, of course. Shit storm ensued on arfcom.

Posted: 4/17/2013 4:43:47 PM EDT

[#13]

Has the point been conveyed yet that said neighbor is turning your neighborhood into a superfund site?

In addition to what's going up the flue, what he's doing with the ashes will radically affect how much environmental impact he's having.

Posted: 4/18/2013 12:59:54 PM EDT

[#14]

It is illegal in all 50 states to burn it.

The stuff from before 2003 releases arsenic when burnt, there is enough in one board to kill a whole family.

Even the new copper treated stuff shouldn't be burnt, too many chemicals in it, not good for breathing. Tell him to knock it off, if he doesn't then call the cops. Not worth any risk to you or your family.

I actually just took a ton of it to the landfill since I got done rebuilding our deck. It would have been enough kindling wood for the year if it was untreated.

Posted: 4/18/2013 1:16:46 PM EDT

[#15]

Can't be as bad as the Chinese Christmas light strings we toss on the campfire. Ooohhh...pretty green, blue, purple flames. Trying to remember my spectroscopy lessons in High School. Brain...not...working............so...........................well.

Posted: 4/20/2013 4:38:20 AM EDT

[#16]

Whats the update OP?

Did you call the cops on the idiot yet?

Posted: 4/20/2013 5:06:31 AM EDT

[#17]

I never burn the stuff for the above mentioned reasons.

I do quite a bit of woodworking/home construction and have briefly inhaled small amounts of dust from sanding/cutting pressure treated. Even the modern copper based wood gives me a headache for the rest of the day. And this is from VERY brief exposure when taking off my mask and with my 4x oversized air filtration system kicking.

Heavy metals + inhalation = bad for your health, if even for a short duration. I have yet to see anything to the contrary. Burning does not remove heavy metals so it stands to reason is just as bad as dust inhalation.

Posted: 4/20/2013 6:00:30 AM EDT

[#18]

I was under the impression that although an irritant the dust from cutting pressure treated was pretty much safe.

I use just a plain old framing blade on my circular saw so the dust is pretty coarse.

Even when cutting regular untreated wood though I can get a nose bleed, so I wear a mask most of the time.

Posted: 4/20/2013 6:35:05 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
I was under the impression that although an irritant the dust from cutting pressure treated was pretty much safe.

I use just a plain old framing blade on my circular saw so the dust is pretty coarse.

Even when cutting regular untreated wood though I can get a nose bleed, so I wear a mask most of the time.

Dangerous impression. I find way too many people who don't understand how dangerous to your health wood dust is, even that from untreated wood.

A starting place. But I highly recommend reading about it and properly protecting yourself and loved ones if you do a decent amount of wood work, especially in an area sharing air with your household (e.g. basement).

And even with a rough cut blade, you are still producing dust fine enough to be dangerous, although at a lower rate. Glad to hear you are using a mask, but if your shop shares airspace with your house, you could be posing a hazard there.

And this from someone who usually calls most health and safety measures overkill. Most of the time, my safety goggles consists of squinting more

Not saying that is a good idea either though...

Posted: 4/20/2013 12:16:33 PM EDT

[#20]

I don't work with wood regularly. At least not by carpenter standards.

I do cut forms for concrete very often, but maybe 20 cuts in any given session, I don't wear a mask for that.

Posted: 4/20/2013 1:25:17 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
Chromated copper arsenate. Educate your neighbor if you can, if you can't and you are downwind of him use whatever legal authority needed to make him stop.

He's gotta be an idiot

+1

go over there and kick him in the nuts if he doesn't stop burning that shit

Posted: 4/20/2013 5:18:35 PM EDT

[#22]

He hasn't been around for several days (lives in another state, this is a vacation home). High winds knocked his woodpile over, and there's a confused jumble of all sorts of wood. I think I'm just gonna haul his PT to the dump and deal with it if/when he notices.

Posted: 4/20/2013 5:22:49 PM EDT

[#23]

There's a reason recycling center don't recycle pressure treated wood. Just like other members have stated YOU DON'T BURN THAT KIND OF WOOD. It doesn't burn very well.

Posted: 4/20/2013 5:23:32 PM EDT

[#24]

There's a reason recycling center don't recycle pressure treated wood. Just like other members have stated YOU DON'T BURN THAT KIND OF WOOD. It doesn't burn very well.

Posted: 4/20/2013 6:12:03 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
He hasn't been around for several days (lives in another state, this is a vacation home).

Gotcha

That explains a lot.

Posted: 4/21/2013 6:41:56 PM EDT

[#26]

I just burned some in my back yard, had a couple of 2x4's that were cut down to about two foot long. I added them to the burn pile slowly.

Posted: 4/21/2013 8:52:08 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
I added them to the burn pile slowly.

Why?

Posted: 4/22/2013 3:45:14 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I added them to the burn pile slowly.

Why?

So my fire wouldnt get too big.

Posted: 4/22/2013 3:53:19 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Sounds like it's time to call local environmental protection and county public health offices. He's endangering everyone around him, and all the plants and animals in the environment.

Not usually one to call "The Man" on someone. But you already tried to smarten him up and he insists on remaining ignorant. Sometimes people only get it when they're forced to.

-JC

Posted: 4/22/2013 3:59:08 PM EDT

[#30]

Our dump makes you take it to the Hazmat area and trash pickup won't take it at all.

Posted: 4/22/2013 7:49:22 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I added them to the burn pile slowly.

Why?

To just breathe slowly ?

Posted: 4/22/2013 7:53:47 PM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
I just burned some in my back yard, had a couple of 2x4's that were cut down to about two foot long. I added them to the burn pile slowly.

After what's been posted in this thread, you get

out of

.

Posted: 4/22/2013 7:56:10 PM EDT

[#33]

depends on how long he want to live, or how many respiratory problems he wants to give his family.

Posted: 4/22/2013 7:59:25 PM EDT

[#34]

Wait is this CCA wood or that new yellawood stuff?

Yellawood has copper azole, which contains no arsenic or so I understand. Still not the best thing to breathe, but shouldn't turn anything into a superfund site.

Posted: 4/25/2013 6:08:04 AM EDT

[#35]

I deal with this crap at work all the time and finally our state pretty much banned burning anything other than brush and clean wood products.

PT wood, painted wood, stained wood are all bad for you.
Other idiots burn garbage to include everything under the sun, cans (lined), plastics, food wastes etc. The one that suprised me talking to the state air quality regulators was the beer and soda cardboard cases of the 18,24,30 packs. The dies are toxic and the metalized cardboard like the coors brand cardboard cases are particularly nasty with the heavy metals. Burns with lots of funky colors coming off, Dioxin was one thing mentioned that is a by product of other stuff being burnedn (plastics if I recall correctly), (anyone remember agent orange?) All them colors in a flame; lead, strontium, copper, all nasty crap to breath.

Posted: 4/25/2013 6:32:45 AM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:
I deal with this crap at work all the time and finally our state pretty much banned burning anything other than brush and clean wood products.

PT wood, painted wood, stained wood are all bad for you.
Other idiots burn garbage to include everything under the sun, cans (lined), plastics, food wastes etc. The one that suprised me talking to the state air quality regulators was the beer and soda cardboard cases of the 18,24,30 packs. The dies are toxic and the metalized cardboard like the coors brand cardboard cases are particularly nasty with the heavy metals. Burns with lots of funky colors coming off, Dioxin was one thing mentioned that is a by product of other stuff being burnedn (plastics if I recall correctly), (anyone remember agent orange?) All them colors in a flame; lead, strontium, copper, all nasty crap to breath.

I used to burn my garbage, I didn't know any better.

I finally bought a bunch of heavy duty garbage cans and a dump sticker and take everything to the landfill, no more nasty garbage ash to deal with.

Posted: 4/27/2013 5:49:27 PM EDT

[#37]

Hate to say it but we burn most everything at the farm. Worst pollutant by far is john deere netwrap, nobody wants it so it get's burned, terrible plastic crap.

Posted: 4/27/2013 6:15:56 PM EDT

[#38]

Back when I was 18 at my first apartment, the place was shetchy as hell. We soon found out many of the neighbors were on crack/drunks. First day we were there I walked out back to throw some stuff in the dumpster and the neighbor and his kids were cooking hotdogs on a burning railroad tie. Poor kids had no idea their genius dad was subjecting them to harmful chemicals.

Posted: 5/2/2013 6:44:03 AM EDT

[#39]

Good info thanks.

Quoted:

I deal with this crap at work all the time and finally our state pretty much banned burning anything other than brush and clean wood products.

PT wood, painted wood, stained wood are all bad for you.

Other idiots burn garbage to include everything under the sun, cans (lined), plastics, food wastes etc. The one that suprised me talking to the state air quality regulators was the beer and soda cardboard cases of the 18,24,30 packs. The dies are toxic and the metalized cardboard like the coors brand cardboard cases are particularly nasty with the heavy metals. Burns with lots of funky colors coming off, Dioxin was one thing mentioned that is a by product of other stuff being burnedn (plastics if I recall correctly), (anyone remember agent orange?) All them colors in a flame; lead, strontium, copper, all nasty crap to breath.

Posted: 5/11/2013 8:17:10 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
This story sounds familiar. Another arfcommer had a similar thing happen. Ended up purchasing the same quantity in untreaded wood, and replaced. Without permission, of course. Shit storm ensued on arfcom.

I had the same thought. When I started reading this I had to double-check the date, because I felt like I had read the same thing before a long time ago here.

Posted: 5/21/2013 7:19:13 PM EDT

[#41]

Your neighbor is a functional retard

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How bad is burning pressure treated wood?

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