Chromated Arsenicals (CCA)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Urban Farm DB summary
This EPA page (last updated December 22, 2025) explains chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a wood preservative used since the 1940s for utility poles, posts, and other structural lumber. Manufacturers voluntarily ended CCA use for residential wood products in December 2003. EPA notes cancer and non-cancer health risks for workers and environmental risks to aquatic invertebrates and plants, while stating there is no health risk to the general public; removal of existing CCA structures is not mandated, though periodic sealant coating is recommended to reduce leaching.
Extracted facts
4 factsOnly numbers and their conditions are stored, as structured data — never the source's own sentences. Metric and condition names stay in English, as coded.
- 2,003
residential use phaseout year(cca treated wood)
Policy- region
- United States
- note
- voluntary manufacturer phase-out of residential CCA wood products, effective December 31 2003
- cancer and noncancer risk
worker health risk(cca treated wood)
Health- region
- United States
- population
- workers
- no risk identified→ No change
general public health risk(cca treated wood)
Health- region
- United States
- population
- general public
- risk to invertebrates and plants
aquatic organism risk(cca leaching)
Biodiversity- region
- United States
- population
- aquatic invertebrates and plants
Direction of conclusions
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- Policy and governanceSupportsWith caveats
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