Old Chemical Wood OK For Compost??

[etbsky]

About two or three years ago, I bought wood and built two planters (each 2'x4') for my mom. Well, it turns out that this wood was pressure treated and my mom didn't want to use it for vegetables because it would leak arsenic into the food.

So the wood has been sitting outside in the backyard for the past two years and has endured snow, rain, flood, etc. I took a look at it the other day and it looks MUCH more faded then when I bought it but the boxes are still in good shape. Is it probably ok to use now?

I also really want to build a vermiculture bin for my mom, but the main way to convince her to use it would be if I said the soil could then be used to grow fantastic vegetables. If I used this wood for compost bin, could the poison get in the compost and then get in the food when I transfer the compost to the garden? Would compost like suck the remaining poison out of the wood more than a veggie plant would?

I know I sound paranoid. I just want to be able to present the argument to my mom so I don't have to rebuild the boxes.

Thanks.

[hendi_alex]

The pressure treated wood industry switched to non arsenic compounds by January 2004. The new compounds are much safer than the old arsenic compounds that were used previously. So if you are confident in the date of two or three years ago, no arsenic should be in that product. I use pressure treated lumber for all of my raised beds, but do line them with heavy mil plastic just to be on the safe side, and to limit any leaching of chemicals into the soil. Here is a link to one resource regarding CCA (arsenic) pressure treated lumber. With a little googling you can find out lots of info to help you assess how safe that you feel the current products are.

https://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/04May/RL32412.pdf

[su_ju]

Cedar boards do not rot as quickly as many other types wood. I would recomend using that, instead of treated wood, just to be on the safe side.

[milifestyle]

Yeah, I agree with the Cedar.

I have been using a lot of Macrocarpa lately. Its a beautiful timber to work with and will last for years. It can be expensive, however.

You timber yard might be able to provide you with shorts or second grade material for a compost bin.

[Charlie MV]

In New Jersey, cypress would be cheaper than cedar or redwood. It will last many years.