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 The preservative shell of treated wood products must not be broken. Treated materials
should not be dragged on the ground, gouged with fork-lifts, or otherwise abused with mechanical
equipment. Dropping or dumping can result in breakage, some of which may go undetected.
Treated piling may be handled with pointed tools provided that the tools are not used for more than
five feet from the end of the piles. For poles, handling tools and loading devices should not be used
within one-foot above and two-feet below the specified ground line. Indentations, caused by load-
ing or handling slings, one-quarter inch or more deep over 20 percent or more of the pole circum-
ference render poles unacceptable for use. Other indentations or abrasions should not be more than
one-half inch deep at any point. Field fabrication of poles in the ground line area is not permitted
and poles cannot be cut off at the butt end after treatment.
When preservative treated wood products are placed in storage, they should be stacked on
treated or decay-resistant skids or bunks. The skids or bunks should be constructed so that distor-
tion of the stored products does not result and air is free to circulate under the material.
Storage yards should be well drained and free of debris, decayed or insect infested wood
products and vegetation. Green vegetation reduces air circulation and, when dry, presents a fire
hazard.
5.5 SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) regulates the use and distribution of pesticides including wood preservatives. Safe use of
treated wood products, and of preservative solutions used for non pressure treatments is possible
using the following practices:
5.5.1 Acceptable Preservatives. Preservatives acceptable for DOD use in the treatment
of wood must be approved by the EPA and the Armed Forces Pest Management Board's Committee
on wood preservation. The EPA has determined that pentachlorophenol, creosote and inorganic ar-
senics are, in most cases, restricted use pesticides. A major exception is the nonrestricted, industrial
use of inorganic arsenics for application on the cut ends of treated wood products.
Currently, the only restricted use preservatives approved for DOD use are creosote, pen-
tachlorophenol and the water borne salts. General use pesticides are also available.
5.5.2 Consumer Information Sheets. EPA-approved information sheets for each of the
three major groups of wood preservatives are being provided by producers to consumers of treated
wood products. These sheets, reproduced below, provide users with information about the preserv-
ative and about the use and disposal of treated wood products. As a minimal, DOD procurement of-
ficials and contractors should become familiar with these information sheets and follow the advice
therein.
5.5.2.1 Inorganic Arsenical Pressure-Treated Wood (including: CCA, ACA
and ACZA).
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