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Creosote in Wood Can Cause Injury

March 23, 2005

Many beaches around the Seattle-Tacoma area have been littered with wood containing Creosote. Creosote is an accumulation of approximately 200 to 300 different chemicals, most of which are carcinogenic.

Tony Frantz of Ireland County, Washington has suffered injury from the poison from working around wood treated with creosote. Mr. Frantz has been educating the public as to the dangers of the harmful substance.

For years, wood has been treated with creosote as a precaution against insect damage. Creosote comes in the form of power poles and pilings, which can potentially end up washing up on beaches all around the peninsula area of Seattle, and especially in Puget Sound.

For instance, at Fort Casey, more than 500 pieces of large pilings containing creosote have been found stretching for one-half a mile on the beach.

There have been clean-ups in Whatcom and Skagit Counties under the watch of the State Parks Department of Natural Resources along with the Northwest Straits Commission of Washington. Clean up is planned for beaches all around Puget Sound.

Although there have not been any injuries disclosed, there could be a significant amount of injury, which can occur to humans if exposed for a sufficient amount of time to the creosote.

Mr. Frantz indicated seeing a child?s clubhouse having 126 pieces of wood, of which 28 were treated with creosote.

Mr. Frantz also declared that he sees campfires around the beaches where people unknowingly burn the treated wood. Mr. Franks said that wood treated with the harmful substance will emit a pretty blue flame, but is very dangerous.