Pilot Study of Children’s Exposure to CCA-Treated Wood

from Playground Equipment

Brian Buckley, Lora E. Fleming, Rogelio Vega, Michael Laas Lloyd,

Stuart Shalat, Helena Solo-Gabriele, Wendy B Stephan, Tomoyuki Shibata

Funding

NIEHS Environmental Health Center (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson NJ Medical College)

NIEHS Marine & Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center (University of Miami)

Background

Treated Wood: Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA)

• Most common wood preservative in USA (>75%)

• Total Arsenic:1900 mg/kg-19,000

• Cumulative Arsenic in service: 330,000 tonnes

• As(V) New Wood; As(V) & As(III) Aged Wood• Studies Have Shown that CCA is “Dislodged” by

Touching the Wood ( i.e. “Dislodgeable Arsenic)• Arsenic can also be absorbed through skin

Background

Human Health Effects• Arsenobetaine [(CH3)3AsCH2COOH] Seafood• As (III) > As (V)• Acute: GI, Cardiac, Renal, Nervous System• Chronic: Nervous (CNS & PNS), Dermatologic,

Peripheral Vascular, Hepatic– Cancer: Dermatologic, Pulmonary, Hepatic,

Bladder, Hematopoietic

BackgroundChildhood Exposure• Age dependent• Behavior (Pesticide research)

– Food Handling & Non Dietary Ingestion• Soil Ingestion by children: 40 to 100 mg/day

– Hand-Mouth & Object-Mouth Activity • Mean hourly frequencies (age 2-4 yrs): 9.5-20.9x/hour

Childhood Vulnerability– Neurologic System

BackgroundCCA-treated wood subject of EPA evaluation under

FIFRA, including Scientific Review Panel and Risk Assessment for residential settings and potential exposure to children.

On 2/12/02, EPA Administrator Whitman announced voluntary decision by industry to move consumer use of treated lumber products away from a variety of pressure-treated wood that contains arsenic by 12/31/03, in favor of new alternative wood preservatives.

PROBLEM: CCA-TREATED WOOD IN USE EVERYWHERE!

Miami Dade County CCA Playgrounds

Figure: One of the CCA containing playgrounds in Dade County, FLFigure: One of the CCA containing playgrounds in Dade County, FL

Devonnaire Park

Specific Aims

• Determine levels of Arsenic present in playgrounds made from CCA-treated wood;

• Determine if dislodgeable Arsenic from CCA-treated playground structures is present on children’s hands by administering hand rinses;

• Determine if levels of Arsenic on children’s hands are associated with levels of Arsenic measurable in children’s urine.

Methods

• Human Subjects Approval

– Multi-Institutional Protocols

– Consent Forms

– Educational Materials

• English & Spanish

Methods

• Environmental Assessment

– Confirm CCA Treatment of Playgrounds (Completed)

– Soil (Completed)

– Wood Wipe

Confirmation of CCA Treatment

As Test Kit

As SpecificStain Plus Regular

Acid DigestionWith ICP-MS

Wipe Test

Methods• Hands

– Tracing (surface area)

– Rinse (pre/post exposure)

• Urine

– Diaper Insert or Cup 12 hours later

• (Speciated) Arsenic & Metabolites

Methods

• Questionnaire

– Household arsenic exposures

• CCA wood, occupations, seafood

– Child Behavior

• Hand to mouth

– Demographics

• English & Spanish

Methods

• Pilot Study: 10 Subjects (15-36 months)

• Subject Payment– $25 gift certificate

• Outreach & Education– Educational Materials– Follow up with Subjects & Families

Future Studies• Increase Study Population Sample Size• Increase Individual Exposure Assessment

– Playground assessment– Other sources of CCA and arsenic

• Increase Individual Behavioral Evaluation– Videotape and analysis

• Longitudinal Evaluation– Including intervention results

• Outreach & Education