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AWPA and the Transition from CCA to Alternative
Preservatives and Fastener Corrosion
The manufacturers of CCA wood preservatives
have voluntarily withdrawn the use of this preservative from certain uses
effective December 31, 2003. Many questions have arisen
regarding which uses are still permitted, and which products must
now be treated with alternative wood preservatives. In
addition, concerns have been raised regarding the corrosivity of
wood treated with
these alternative wood preservatives. On this page, we hope to
provide the answers to many of your questions pertaining to these
two issues.
The Transition from CCA to Alternative
Preservatives:
AWPA is a non-profit organization that promulgates
voluntary standards for wood preservation developed by its technical
committees in a consensus-based process. AWPA does not enforce
the use of its Standards, nor does it provide interpretations of the
intent of other parties that choose to reference our Standards. While the EPA has referenced many AWPA Standards as
permitted uses for treatment with CCA, AWPA cannot make any
determinations as to which products may be treated with CCA if they
are not specifically named in the 2001 edition of the AWPA Book of
Standards.
To determine which products may or may not be
treated with CCA, first go to the
EPA's April 9, 2003 Federal Register entry. Section IV,
near the end of the document, contains language for the EPA-approved
pesticide label, which references a number of AWPA Standards as
published in our 2001 Book of Standards. A wood treater may
only use CCA to preserve products which are contained within these
standards. For additional guidance, one may consult the
EPA's web page on CCA wood preservatives. If there are still questions as to the permitted
uses of CCA, one must consult the various AWPA Standards, available
for purchase in the AWPA Store.
To determine which version is needed, first review the
Table of Contents from 2001.
For more information regarding this matter, please visit the following
websites:
Corrosion of Fasteners and Connectors Used With
Copper-Based Waterborne Preservatives:
Many are asking "what types of fasteners should be
used with the newest generation of pressure treated wood?"
While AWPA has promulgated a test method which enables the user to
determine corrosion rates of treated wood for a specific set of
metals (AWPA Standard E12-94), that test was not originally designed
to test specific types of fasteners. In conjunction with a
group from the International Staple, Nail, and Tool Association, a
task force from AWPA's technical committees are developing such a
test method that will provide meaningful data to users and
specifiers of treated wood.
As a standards-writing body, AWPA does not make any
performance claims or recommendations regarding the many
combinations of preservatives, wood species and fastener or
connector materials. In order to determine which fasteners are
recommended for your project, please visit the websites of the
following wood preservative manufacturers:
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