Research Product

Previous studies have shown that Cu, Cr, and As leach from chromated-copper-arsenate (CCA) pressure-treated wood and can be toxic to estuarine organisms in the laboratory. In this study, algae, barnacles, and mussles were collected from CCA-treated wood in open water and in a residential canal adjoining Santa Rosa Sound, Pensacola Beach, FL, and were analysed for the metals by inductively-coupled argon plasma emission spectroscopy. Reference organisms were collected from nearby rocks. Organisms living on the open water dock had significantly (P < than 0.05) elevated concentrations of contaminants from wood, while those living inside the canal had considerably higher concentrations. The highest concentrations in barnacles were found in those barnacles growing on new (1 year old) wood within the canal, reflecting the greater leaching of new wood.