Older Wooden Playsets & Decks (CCA)
Spot it
A wooden swing set, deck or picnic table built before about 2004 from pressure-treated lumber (often greenish or brown-tinted) where kids play and touch. Cedar and redwood sets, and anything built after 2004, aren't a CCA concern; if you don't know, ask the maker or seller.
Fix it
Manufacturers voluntarily stopped making CCA-treated wood for homeowner uses in December 2003, and CPSC's playground handbook says wood pressure-treated with CCA is no longer processed for residential use because it contains arsenic. EPA does not require removing existing CCA structures or the soil around them. EPA says a penetrating protective coating, such as an oil- or water-based stain applied regularly, may reduce leaching. Wash hands after handling treated wood, wear goggles and a dust mask when sawing it, and never burn it. This is a manageable exposure, mostly hand-to-mouth, and EPA does not ask families to tear out existing structures.
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Have kids wash their hands after playing on or touching an old wooden playset or deckHabit
Free; EPA lists hand-washing after handling treated wood (applying it to kids at play is our extension)
Wear goggles and a dust mask if you cut old treated wood, and never burn itHabit
Free; EPA says to wear goggles and a dust mask when sawing and not to burn it
Penetrating deck-and-fence stain, reapplied regularly, on old treated wood
EPA says a penetrating protective coating may reduce leaching
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
Related checks
- Old Pressure-Treated Wood (CCA) Stored or Reused — Leftover or reused old treated lumber is covered in the garage.