This website provides some information about the risks of creosote…
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I avoid wood at any cost as we live in the land of white ants and no frost to stop their invasion. Years ago we used to live in a house with timber floor that had to be treated once a year. Now our house has tiles through the whole house, so much better for the environment and for our health.
For outside poles I think a recycled plastic would be the best alternative. Unfortunately, the price of the Australian made recycled plastic prohibits a wider usage for general public.
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My experience in the pine treatment business tells me that CCA treated softwood is not a toxic product per se.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority are responsible for the regulation of CCA and there are well established Australian Standards for the storage and used of CCA solutions used to treat timber.
Please note that arsenic, generally as the pentoxide, is the twentieth most abundant element on earth and is present in soils at concentrations of 0.1 to 40 mg/kg naturally.
Copper is used to fabricate pipes for drinking water. Chromium is “fixed” in the timber and rapidly degrades to insoluble and benign chromium III oxide during environmental exposure.
Vineyards in Australia use thousands of CCA posts for trellising, and, the 23rd Australian Total Diet Study published by Food Standards Australia New Zealand found that white wine analysed from <LOR - 0.0075 mg/kg and red wine from <LOR - 0.0029 mg/kg.
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/pages/23rdaustraliantotald5367.aspx
Clearly, the grapes from vines planted close to the CCA treated posts are not contaminated with arsenic.
Interestingly, the same report lists battered fish fillets as having 2.5 mg/kg Arsenic and prawns having 0.71 mg/kg.
Of great concern, however, is the disposal of CCA treated timber after use. Again, focusing on vineyards where very large volumes of treated timber are used in concentrated regions, compared with much smaller volumes in diverse areas for landscaping and construction. The industry, including chemical manufacturers, timber treaters and marketers, and the end users of large quantities of CCA treated timber need to establish robust strategies to deal with this problem.
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