A ban on treated timber in children's playgrounds could create death traps as untreated timber structures rot, says one researcher.
The Green Party has called for timber treated with chromate copper arsenate to be banned, after United States research suggested regular contact increased the risk of cancer.
The report singled out children
who regularly touched wooden playground structures.
However, a ban would be a "dangerous overreaction", says Massey University Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health researcher Stuart McLaren.
"If you are going to remove arsenic-treated timber, the subsequent rotting - as we should already have learned from the "leaky building syndrome" - could be a death trap," he told university newspaper Massey News.
"You will have children falling through platforms as they collapse."
Mr McLaren said untreated timber structures would need to be rigorously checked every three to six months for rotting, but he suspected the required vigilance would be lacking.
"You shouldn't run out and replace treated timber with an inferior product. It has to be balanced with acceptable risk," he said.
Soil scientist Nanthi Bolan told Massey News that timber was arsenic treated to stop rapid deterioration and degradation by insects, and at present there was no alternative as effective.
The Government says its Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) will review the copper, chromium and arsenic (CCA) compounds involved in treated timber.
The Erma report, due at the end of February, will be used to see whether there are grounds to do a reassessment of CCA, the normal process for reconsidering existing chemicals.
Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has said the Erma review's focus on the US research suggested the intent was to discredit the research, rather than taking a wider view of a "very toxic substance".
The Building Industry Authority (BIA) is also seeking Erma advice to see if CCA-treated timber should be classified alongside asbestos as a hazardous material in the building code.
- NZPA
