North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

So...from perusal of the abstracts, while it is evident that arsenic 
does leach into the soil,
there's no evidence that grapes, at least, take up any from the soil, 
so the likelihood that any may be incorporated into edible 
fruits/vegetables appears to be infinitesimally slim.
Lucky

At 03:50 PM 4/9/2008, you wrote:
> Arsenic from CCA treated timbers does leach into the soil.  Here is
> the abstract of one relevant study:
> ==========================================================
> Sci Total Environ. 2006 Jul 1;364(1-3):113-23. Epub 2005 Sep 16. Links
> Leaching of copper, chromium and arsenic from treated vineyard posts
> in Marlborough, New
> Zealand.
>
> Robinson B, Greven M, Green S, Sivakumaran S, Davidson P, Clothier B.
> HortResearch, Private Bag 11 030, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
> Brett.Robinson@env.ethz.ch
> There have been conflicting reports as to the extent that
> copper-chromium-arsenic (CCA)
> treatments leach from timber. In New Zealand, vineyards utilise
> CCA-treated posts at a
> rate of 579 posts per hectare. This represents a potential CCA burden
> on the soil of 12,
> 21, and 17 kg/ha, respectively, for the three elements. Given a
> replacement rate of 4%
> per year, the use of CCA-treated posts may result in an accumulation
> of these elements in
> the soil, possibly leading to groundwater contamination. We undertook
> a general survey to
> determine the extent of CCA leaching from treated vineyard posts.
> Treated Pinus radiata
> posts were sampled at six sites around the Marlborough region of New
> Zealand to represent
> a range of post ages and soil types. For each post, above- and
> belowground wood samples
> were taken. As well, the soil adjacent to the post was sampled at a 50
> mm horizontal and
> 100 mm vertical distances from the post. The belowground wood samples
> of the posts had
> significantly lower CCA concentrations than the aboveground portions,
> which were not
> significantly different from new posts. This indicates leaching. Soils
> surrounding the
> posts had significantly higher CCA concentrations than control soils.
> Higher CCA
> concentrations were measured under the posts than laterally. Some 25%
> of the samples
> exceeded 100 mg/kg As, the Australian National Environment Protection
> Council (ANEPC)
> guideline level for As in agricultural soil, and 10% exceeded 100
> mg/kg Cr, the ANEPC
> limit for chromium. At one site, we found a significant positive
> correlation between post
> age and CCA-leaching. The CCA issue could be eliminated by using
> alternative posts, such
> as steel, concrete, or untreated woods such as Eucalyptus or beech.
> Alternatively,
> CCA-treated posts could, for example, be lacquered or otherwise
> protected, to reduce the
> rate of CCA leaching.
> ============================================================
>
> It's not really clear, as far as I can find, that this is a problem for fruit
> growers....here is another abstract:
>
> ===========================================
> 1: Sci Total Environ. 2007 Dec 15;388(1-3):35-42. Epub 2007 Sep 24. Links
> Mobility of copper, chromium and arsenic from treated timber into grapevines.
>
> Ko BG, Vogeler I, Bolan NS, Clothier B, Green S, Kennedy J.
> Environment and Ecology Division, National Institute of Agricultural
> and Science
> Technology, 249 Seodundong Suwon, Republic of Korea.
> The use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated timber posts as
> support structures in
> New Zealand vineyards has raised concerns regarding the release of
> heavy metal(loid)s
> from the treated timber into the environment. A laboratory experiment
> was set up to
> evaluate if post sealing by painting reduces the release rate of CCA
> metal(loid)s from
> timber posts. Three posts were painted (Gripset 38, Multi Purpose
> Bitumen Rubber) on the
> bottom part, submerged in freshwater, and the concentrations of copper
> (Cu), chromium
> (Cr) and arsenic (As) in the water were monitored over a period of 8
> months. Three
> additional, unpainted posts were also used. The CCA contents in the
> water showed a clear
> difference between the painted and the unpainted posts, and painting
> the bottom of the
> posts reduced the release rate by 50-75%. To monitor the possible
> mobility of CCA from
> treated posts into grapevines further, an experiment with
> four-year-old grapevines
> planted into sixteen lysimeters was set up in a greenhouse. To half
> the lysimeters Cu, Cr
> and As were added to the soil surface at rates of 16, 20, and 12.5
> mg/month from 15
> November 2005 to 5 May 2006. The other lysimeters acted as a control.
> Soil solutions were
> collected at 50, 150 and 300 mm depths using suction cups after seven
> application of the
> CCA solution. The results showed that all the elements moved to a
> depth of 50 mm. Grape
> fruit, leaves and rachis were analysed for CCA metal(loid)s, but did
> not show any
> differences between the CCA-treated and control lysimeters. This
> indicated either that
> these metals were not taken up by grapevines or that their
> translocation from roots to
> the upper part of the vine was negligible. Further monitoring of CCA
> metal(loid)s in
> various parts of the grapevines, including roots, needs to be undertaken.
> ============================================
>
> I haven't come across any for other fruits, but I have not looked very
> hard recently.
>
> In any case, CCA treated timber is supposedly not sold in the US
> anymore.  I suppose there may be places that still have old stock.
> All the places around me now sell ACQ treated wood instead, and I have
> not seen CCA wood for a couple years.  The EPA hasn't found any
> problem with ACQ yet AFAIK.
>
> When you say "The lumber yard knows nothing when asked.", are you
> referring to the availability of CCA treated wood, or the leaching of
> arsenic?  Surely they know what wood they are selling.
>
> Alex
>
>
>
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