Outdoor & Yard / Products / Pressure-Treated Lumber Deck

Pressure-Treated Lumber Deck — outdoor safety profile

High risk

Not medical, veterinary, or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified professional — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Pressure-treated lumber used for outdoor decks, fences, and playground structures.

What is this product?

Pressure-treated lumber used for outdoor decks, fences, and playground structures. Pre-2004 treatment was CCA (chromated copper arsenate) containing arsenic and chromium VI. Post-2004 residential treatment is ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) or CA-B (copper azole). CCA-treated wood remains in millions of existing structures. ACQ uses high copper concentrations that leach into soil.

What's in it

Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.

Preservative Historic

Preservative Current

Who's most at risk

  • Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight

Red flags — when to walk away

  • Product used in enclosed or poorly ventilated space — Chemical exposure concentrations increase dramatically in enclosed spaces.

Green flags — what to look for

  • Third-party safety certification visible on packaging — Product has been independently tested to applicable safety standards.

Safer alternatives

  • Composite decking — Trex, TimberTech) — no chemical leaching
  • Naturally rot-resistant wood — cedar, redwood, black locust
  • Thermally modified wood — heat treatment, no chemicals

Frequently asked questions

Who should be careful with Pressure-Treated Lumber Deck?

Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children.

Are there safer alternatives to Pressure-Treated Lumber Deck?

Yes — consider: Composite decking; Naturally rot-resistant wood; Thermally modified wood. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.

Sources (9)

Citations carried on this product's ALETHEIA record. A bracketed number in the text links to its entry here.

  1. ALETHEIA Safety Database — expert_curation
  2. EPA FIFRA / TSCA (as applicable) · USA — regulation
  3. California Proposition 65 · USA -- California — regulation
  4. IARC Monographs Volume 100C: Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  5. US EPA IRIS Assessment: Arsenic, Inorganic (1998) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  6. IARC Monographs Volume 100C: Arsenic, Metals, Fibres and Dusts — Chromium (VI) Compounds Group 1 (Lung Cancer, Nasal/Sinus Cancer), Nickel Compounds Group 1, Beryllium Group 1 (2012) (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  7. US EPA: National Primary Drinking Water Regulations — Inorganic Chemicals (40 CFR 141.62); Total Chromium MCL 100 μg/L, Barium MCL 2 mg/L, Uranium MCL 30 μg/L, Selenium MCL 50 μg/L, Manganese SMCL 50 μg/L (1992) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  8. EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR): Final Opinion on the Safety of Nanomaterials in Food — Nano-CeO2 as diesel fuel additive (Eolys); biopersistent lung particle; NTP 2-year inhalation bioassay lung tumors at high dose; redox-active antioxidant/pro-oxidant dual behavior (2015) (2015) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  9. NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin 63: Occupational Exposure to Titanium Dioxide — Nano-Cu comparative toxicology; copper nanoparticle inhalation toxicology; REL 1 mg/m³ copper dust/mist; nano-specific engineering controls guidance (2012) (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)

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Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →