Smarter Living: Chemical Index U.S. industries release thousands
of pounds of arsenic, a known carcinogen, into the environment
each year, most of it from the manufacture and application of
arsenic as a wood preservative. Ingesting arsenic-contaminated
water, food, or soil can increase the risk of skin, bladder,
kidney and lung cancer. Breathing high levels of arsenic can
cause nausea, vomiting, decreased blood cell production,
abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels, severe skin
irritation and lung cancer. Arsenic can cross the placenta and
there is some evidence linking pre-birth exposures with lower IQ
scores. Arsenic is a naturally-occurring mineral as well as a
carcinogenic by-product of copper smelting, mining and coal-
burning. Arsenic was used extensively as a wood preservative,
and can contaminate many wooden structures such as porches, home
decks and playground equipment.In 2003, wood preservatives with
arsenic were banned from use around homes and in playgrounds
throughout the US, but older s