Why is poison in picnic tables?
For decades, wood used for outdoor purposes was infused with the preservative CCA. The preservative contains copper, chromium and arsenic, and it was pumped into billions of pounds of lumber used for playground equipment, backyard decks and picnic tables to help prevent decay and deterioration. The lumber industry voluntarily agreed to stop using CCA by the end of 2003 due to pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency and health concerns that arsenic was leaching out of the wood, exposing consumers to an increased risk of cancer and other health problems. When the issue received national media attention several years ago, many parks departments in central Indiana and around the country quickly replaced their CCA-treated wood playground sets. But most parks officials admit they did not recognize the potential danger within their picnic tables. “We never really did any tests on the tables,” said Indy Parks director Joe Wynns. “We weren’t aware that we had 750 picnic tables out her
