WOOD PRESERVATIVES

The Canada Plan Service prepares detailed plans showing how to construct modern farm build ings, livestock housing systems, storages and equipment for Canadian Agriculture.

To obtain another copy of this leaflet, contact your local provincial agricultural engineer or extension advisor.

WOOD PRESERVATIVES

PLAN M -9401 REV 84:12

Untreated wood in contact with the ground lasts only 3 to 12 years, whereas species like red pine, jack pine and Douglas fir last 25 to 40 years when factory pressure-treated. The importance of preservative- treated wood is well established in modern farm building construction. Treated wood poles and splash planking make a quickly-erected and durable foundation system for a wide range of buildings such as implement sheds, free-stall dairy barns, horizontal silos and corral fencing. REGULATION OF WOOD PRESERVATIVES To be effective as preservatives, chemicals must be toxic to the fungi, molds, insects and (in coastal waters) marine borers that feed on unprotected, damp wood. The poisonous nature of wood preservatives presents some risk that they might also be hazardous to the people, livestock and greenhouse plants that occupy farm buildings and consequently may contact the treated wood. In Canada, several government departments control the use of toxic chemicals. Labeling and use of wood preserving chemicals is regulated by the Pest Control Products Act, administered by Agriculture Canada's Pesticides Division. This act obligates chemical manufacturers to register their products and obtain government acceptance of the labels used on their containers. These labels list the uses, methods and special precautions for each preservative product. The practical significance of this labeling registration is that users, for their own protection, must read and follow the instructions carefully. A wide variety of wood preservatives is available for home and farm use. These do-it-yourself preservatives can be applied by brushing, dipping or soaking the wood. However, side-grain penetration will probably be only skin-deep. On the other hand, if end-grain penetration is all that is required, butt-soaking of seasoned porous woods such as pines and cedars can give 25 to 50 mm penetration. This gives excellent protection for the ends of posts or studs bearing on damp concrete footings or piers (where only the butt of the wood member is vulnerable). For other cases (such as building poles and fence posts), the most vulnerable part is side-grain wood just below the ground line; only factory-controlled pressure treatment processes are effective enough to be recommended. Consider, for example, the consequences if the wall posts of a horizontal silo snap off when a tractor is packing silage at the top of the wall! PRESSURE-TREATED WOOD The three major chem icals used by Canadian pressure-treating plants are Creosote, Pentachlorophenol (PCP) and Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA). Creosote and PCP are not soluble in water, so for treatment they are usually dissolved or diluted in a petroleum-

based solvent such as light oil. The oil acts as a carrier to help the preservative penetrate a spaced stack of timber when it is heated and pressurized in a large steel cylinder, or retort. CCA, on the other hand, is a combination of inorganic salts dissolved in water and forced into the wood. There they are thought to combine chemically with the wood, resulting in little or no loss on subsequent contact with humidity, rain and groundwater. Ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA) is another waterborne salt-type preservative that has some limited use in Canada. Its characteristics are similar to CCA. These and other preservative chemicals are under continuing government review to ensure the safety and health of producers, users and the environment, and at the same time maintain structural safety and the other construction benefits of durable preserved wood. PREFERRED TREATMENTS Information available in scientific literature suggests that some health hazards may be associated with chlorophenol wood preservatives. These hazards may apply to workers, bystanders and farm animals. They have been ascribed to the dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans and other by-products that may be found in minute quantities in technical chlorophenols. As of January 1, 1981, the Pesticides Division, Food Production and Inspection Branch, Agriculture Canada suspended all chlorophenol products (including PCP) carrying -label instructions for use as wood preservatives and/or wood stains for interior home use, for preservatives on wooden food containers , horticultural lumber (seed flats, garden stakes, greenhouse lumber, etc.), and for above-ground interior woodwork of closed farm buildings. There is apparently some risk even from the vapors of PCP-treated wood. These could accumulate in a closed building (such as a poorly-ventilated livestock barn) where a considerable area of treated wood is exposed to the interior air. PCP-treated wood is still considered acceptable for outdoor uses such as for fence posts, hydro and telephone poles, and structural poles (including one bottom splash-plank) in open-front pole barns. Another example is a pole-and-plank horizontal silo; the poles embedded in the ground on the outside could be PCP-treated. However, the silo lining in direct contact with the feed should not be treated. There are no preservatives registered in Canada for direct food or feed contact. For structural safety the planking should be treated, but this is prohibited for health reasons. One possible solution is to line the structural planking with a full covering of at least 0.1 mm (4-mil) polyethylene film, in turn protected with an untreated plywood liner. This has the added advantage of making the silo walls essentially airtight, which helps preserve the silage. Another problem area is the cattle feed bunk; the posts and framework underneath should be treated but the bunk planking should not.

Fortunately, CCA-treated wood is an alternative to PCP and has other advantages as well. CCA-treated wood doesn't 'bleed' like the oil-based treatments (PCP and Creosote), making it clean to handle and suitable for painting. IDENTIFYING AND USING PRESSURE-TREATED WOOD There is no quick and sure way for a farmer or builder to identify the type and amount of preservative used in pressure-treated wood. Some treatments do not significantly change the color and appearance of the natural wood, but others produce a color change that indicates the wood has been treated. For important structural uses such as building poles, the depth of penetration into the side grain is important, especially in the more vulnerable sapwood which has less natural resistance to rot. For example, for sawn lumber in ground contact, CSA Standard 80-M 1983 specifies at least 90% sapwood penetration and a net retention of 6.4 kg /M3 with CCA treatment. For damp locations above ground, a lesser retention of 4 kg /M3 is allowed. Unfortunately for the user of treated wood, there is no required stamp or other identification to assure him what grade of treatment was applied. However, when you cut or notch the wood for above-grade carpentry and fitting, you can check for depth of color penetration; this at least gives a crude indication of the degree of preservation. Wood treated only at the surface would not meet the requirements of CSA Standard 80-M 1983 and should not be used for ground contact. CCA-treated wood is typically alight green color (due to the copper contend, the surfaces are typically clean and dry, and the treatment process is sometimes identified by a stamped trademark. Most new pressure-treating plants in Canada have some or all of their production devoted to this and other water-borne treatments. Retail outlets usually stock only wood treated with water-borne preservatives. Because ACA and CCA treated woods are clean, oil-free and odorless, they can both be readily painted. PCP-treated wood is usually dark red to brown in color, due mostly to the oil-based solvent used as a carrier. The coloring can vary, and crystals of PCP can sometimes be seen on the wood surface. PCP-treated wood is usually available directly from the manufacturer. Like creosote, it should not be used where it will be painted. Creosote is still used for the preservation of railway ties, marine piles and building piles. It is a very effective wood preservative but has some important drawbacks. It is very irritating to the skin, and users are advised to avoid skin contact. Another problem is that creosote bleeds out of the treated wood as an oily dark brown-to-black stain that seeps out through other building materials and paint coatings. HANDLING AND MACHINING TREATED WOOD In addition to the skin irritation problems with creosote, the toxic nature of

all wood preservatives must be respected. Avoid direct skin contact; for example, wear plasticized gloves for handling treated wood. Wear goggles and a filter-mask when sawing or sanding treated wood, to avoid breathing the dust. Be especially careful with liquid preservatives used on the job-site. Considering the longevity of treated wood, it is best not to do any cutting or notching where the cut wood surfaces will be exposed to rot. For example, building poles should be notched and cut to length at the top, not at the bottom where they will be below ground. Any treated wood that must be cut in a vulnerable area should be retreated on site with a penetrating wood preservative that is compatible with the original factory treatment. TREATED WOOD IN FOOD STORAGES Wood inside fruit and vegetable storages is exposed to the same high humidity as the food (95% RH, or more). This is necessary to preserve the fresh quality of the potatoes, apples or other produce living in the storage rooms. But, unfortunately, the humidity also supports growth of wood-destroying fungi and molds, even where the wood is not in ground or floor contact. Since growers have started using improved humidifying equipment to maintain higher humidity in fresh food storages, many cases of serious wood deterioration have been reported. Several new wood-framed storages have failed in as little as 4-6 years! At present (in spite of some current recommendations in CSA Standard 080) there are no wood-preserving chemicals approved in Canada for direct contact with food. Canada Plan Service designs for wood studframed food storage walls (M -6111, M -6112) specify a CCA-pressure-treated wood sill where moisture may collect at the bottom of the concealed stud-spaces. As well, the studs should be either CCA or ACA pressure treated, or butt-soaked in a compatible wood preservative such as copper naphthanate. In this case the treated wood is doubly separated from the stored food by a continuous polyethylene vapor barrier, as well as the steel, plywood or lumber interior lining. The studs and other wood frame parts of interior walls and air plenums are a special problem because they are surrounded by the high humidity. Therefore, these should be pressure treated (not just butt-soaked). Linings should not be preservative treated; use either galvanized sheet steel, or a wood that is naturally rot-resistant (cedar, for example). For linings, avoid non-durable woods such as aspen, poplar, hemlock and spruce. The Pesticides Division of Agriculture Canada advises that traces of copper and/or arsenic, if found by food inspectors, can result in condemnation of the entire contents of a food storage. It is the growers' responsibility to prevent food contamination from any source, including improper use of wood preservatives. Wood treated with CCA and ACA (unlike PCP and creosote) does not produce poisonous vapors, but traces of the chemical salts can dissolve in water and then be transferred to the food by contact. Where ACA or CCA treated wood studs and other wall framing is used, (1) thoroughly hose down the treated wood to remove surface residues, then (2) cover all

treated wood framing with untreated wood slats, plywood or galvanized steel to separate the food from the framing. Ceilings over the stored food are a special problem. Moisture condensing on the underside of a ceiling (or exposed ceiling joists) can drip back down onto the stored food. If a wood ceiling is preservative treated, there is risk of food contamination from the dripping moisture. If any treated wood is used in the ceiling structure (wood strapping, etc.) it should be located above the vapor barrier and an untreated lining material.