Which Wood is Dangerous?

I’m happy that chromated copper arsenate (CCA) preservatives are finally being phased out [see

EBN

Vol. 12, No. 3], but one small problem remains: There is no way to tell wood treated with ammoniacal copper quaternary (ACQ) or other alternative treatments from that treated with CCA once it’s been installed and the stapletags have been removed. There is no way, during the transition, to be sure that ACQ, etc. is actually being used when specified, and no way, 20 years from now, to know what the disposal needs are. CCA was never marked in any way, so it seems necessary to mark ACQ, etc. with some kind of permanent marking—how about a pressed-in ID on the narrow edge of the wood every two feet, or something?

Nehalem, Oregon