Re: [GBlist] Pressure treating with Wolman E. (??)

[billc_lists@greenbuilder.com]

>  >From Racheli
>
>Hi,
>Does anyone have any information on a pressure
>treating substance called Wollman E.?  -  Presumably,
>Kompan uses it on its wooden play-structures. 
>
>Thanks for any leads,
>R.

EBN did a piece on it in the October issue.

Basically, Wolman E is the Wolmanized Lumber Industry's alternative 
to Copper Chromated Arsenic (CCA) - the usual wolmanized lumber that 
you're used to seeing.

If I remember the article correctly, some recent studies showed 
elevated levels of arsenic in playgrounds where CCA was used - 
causing a big PR ruckus.

In response, the pressure treated wood industry (which of course 
continues to say that there's no danger from CCA) has begun marketing 
ACQ (Ammoniacal copper quatenary) treated wood.  ACQ has been around 
for years, is considered less toxic, but it's more expensive. So 
there wasn't a big market for it.

Several playground equipment manufacturers including Kompan switched 
to ACQ treated wood.

For precautions on using pressure treated wood and some alternatives 
(not yet including Wolman-E), see 
http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/WoodTreatment.html

-- 

Bill Christensen
billc@greenbuilder.com

    "The first casualty of War is always Truth."
          -- Winston Churchill

International Strawbale Registry: http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com
Sustainable Bldg Calendar:  http://www.greenbuilder.com/calendar/

______________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by REPP/CREST, creator of
Solstice http://www.crest.org, and BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of
Environmental Building News and GreenSpec http://www.BuildingGreen.com
______________________________________________________________________