HC Deb 19 September 2002 vol 390 cc266-8W
Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health regarding the safety of CCA pressure treated wood. [69638]

Mr. Meacher

The European Commission has drawn up proposals under the Marketing and Use Directive (76/769/EEC) to prohibit the use of CCA wood preservatives, but with derogations to allow continued use in a number of essential areas where human contact is limited. Draft proposals are currently being considered by Member States and discussions on the content of the proposal have taken place between officials from Department of Health, DTI who represent the views of the construction industry/consumers and HSE who regulate wood preservative products under the Control of Pesticide Regulations (1986).

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has received regarding risk assessments of CCA pressure treated wood her Department has performed. [69637]

Mr. Meacher

The Department has not carried out any risk assessment of wood pretreated with copper/chrome/arsenic (CCA) wood preservative.

In the UK wood preservative products are regulated under the Control of Pesticide Regulations (1986) and the Health and Safety Executive lead on such non-agricultural pesticides. CCA is approved for use in products for pressure impregnation at industrial sites. This follows the advice to Ministers from the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) that such products do not present any risk to human health or the environment.

Recently an expert advisory committee to the European Commission the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (SCTEE) has reviewed the safety of wood treated with this preservative and has concluded that there may be a risk to health of children from the use of such treated timber in playground equipment and also when treated wood is burnt or disposed.

The European Commission has drawn up proposals under the Marketing and Use Directive to prohibit the use of CCA wood preservatives, but with derogations to allow continued use in a number of essential areas where human contact is limited. Draft proposals are currently being considered by Member States.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department has undertaken to prevent the household burning of arsenic-treated waste wood. [69636]

Mr. Meacher

[holding answer 17 July 2002]: The Clean Air Act 1993 prohibits the use of unauthorised fuel (such as wood and bituminous coal) in domestic grates in houses located in designated smoke control areas. Some closed domestic stoves are permitted for use in smoke control areas to burn specific types of wood, which are usually specified as firewood or wood or untreated dry wood.

The EU Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment has recently advised that there may be a risk to human health when wood treated with copper/chrome/arsenic (CCA) wood preservative is burnt. The European Commission has therefore drawn up proposals under the Marketing and Use Directive to prohibit the use of CCA wood preservatives, except for a limited number of essential areas where human contact is limited. Draft proposals are currently being considered by Member States and will form the basis of harmonised European Community controls on CCA.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has received regarding the(a) incineration and (b) landfill disposal of chromate copper arsenate pressure treated wood and its effects on (i) air and (ii) water pollution levels. [69635]

Mr. Meacher

[holding answer 17 July 2002]: I am not aware that the Department has received any representations regarding wood pressure treated with chromate copper arsenate. Any question of the incineration or landfill of these chemicals or any evaluation of the environmental impacts of imported chemicals or pressure treated wood would be a matter for the Environment Agency, who control disposal facilities for hazardous waste.

However, the UK has agreed to take back chromated copper arsenate waste from Djibouti. This waste resulted from a huge leakage at the dockside in Djibouti, and is being taken back on environmental and humanitarian grounds, as Djibouti does not have facilities to dispose of such waste.