The silent neighbourhood threat that can make you ill

The Timaru District Council is again warning those with log burners not to burn treated timber when trying to stay warm this winter.

Burning treated timber releases arsenic and other poisonous gases into the atmosphere creating a health risk for householders, neighbours and animals, the council says.

In calling for a repeat of the more responsible attitude to burning treated timber that Timaru District residents showed last winter after a public awareness campaign, Timaru District Council senior waste management officer Ruth Clarke said everyone benefitted from understanding just how dangerous to health burning treated timber could be.

And the result of public acceptance of the dangers has also ensured that the council’s composting process at Redruth was less affected.

In the first three winters of processing greenwaste from the 3-2-1-ZERO kerbside waste management system, about 6000 tonnes of compost produced at the Redruth plant could not be sold because the arsenic levels exceeded 20 parts per million, Ms Clarke said.

However, last winter after an extensive public awareness campaign, arsenic contamination was minimised and all of the winter batches were able to be processed for sale.

The composting process was compromised when arsenic-laced ash was disposed of through the green bins.

While workers removed contaminants whenever they were identified, this was not possible with ash or sawdust from treated timber because it gets mixed in and cannot be seen, Ms Clarke said.

“The Redruth composting plant has a rigorous control programme.

“Compost is processed in 450-tonne batches and every batch is chemically tested for numerous constituents. Compost will not be released for sale until it meets the New Zealand Composting Standard.

“It boils down to public education and persuading residents of the district not to burn tanalised timber. Everyone benefits from not doing so,” Ms Clarke said.

Burning timber treated with a preservative released toxic emissions into the atmosphere and produced toxic ash, she said.

“The preservative is a compound known as CCA (chromated copper arsenate). When the wood is burned, some escapes into the air and the rest remains in the ash,” Ms Clarke said.

“Burning releases the arsenic in a particularly toxic form and breathing it in or ingesting it in the ash is harmful to health.

“Very simply, it is extremely dangerous.

“Toxic vapours can be released into your house even if all visible smoke is directed up the chimney,” Ms Clarke said.

And the damage is not confined to people breathing in the toxic vapours, the burning process corrodes woodburners and stainless steel flues.

She said untreated wood was safe to burn but treated timber and all ash should be consigned to the red bin for safe disposal to landfill via the council’s 3-2-1-ZERO waste disposal system.

ENDS

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