A pilot study of childrenʹs exposure to CCA-treated wood from playground equipment

Arsenic from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood, widely used in playgrounds and other outdoor equipment, can persist as surface residues on wood. This raises concerns about possible health risks associated with children playing on CCAtreated playgrounds. In a Pilot Study, 11 children (13–71 months) in homes with and without CCA-treated playgrounds were evaluated with postexposure hand rinses and urine for total arsenic. Samples of wood, soil, and mulch, as well as synthetic wipes, were sampled for total arsenic. In non-CCA-treated playgrounds vs. CCA-treated playgrounds, respectively, wood arsenic was b2.0 mg/kg vs. mean arsenic 2370 mg/kg (range 1440–3270 mg/kg); soil arsenic was b3.0 mg/kg vs. mean arsenic of 19 mg/kg (range 4.0–42 mg/kg); mulch arsenic at one non-CCA-treated playground was 0.4 mg/kg vs. two CCA-treated playgrounds of 0.6 and 69 mg/kg. The arsenic removed using a synthetic wipe at non-CCA-treated playgrounds was b0.5 μg, while mean arsenic from CCA-treated wood was 117 μg (range 1.0–313). The arsenic mass from hand rinses for children who played at non-CCA-treated playgrounds was b0.2 μg, while mean arsenic mass was 0.6 μg (range b0.2–1.9) at CCA-treated playgrounds. Mean urinary total arsenic levels were 13.6 pg/ml (range 7.2–23.1 pg/ml) for all children evaluated, but there was no association between access to CCAplaygrounds and urinary arsenic levels. Arsenic speciation was not performed. This preliminary Pilot Study of CCA-treated wood playgrounds observed dislodgeable arsenic on 11 childrenʹs hands after brief periods of play exposure. Future efforts should increase the number of children and the play exposure periods, and incorporate speciation in order to discriminate between various sources of arsenic.