This week a twenty-six member scientific advisory panel assembled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended that the government begin testing children for arsenic exposure from pressure-treated wood. Arsenic contaminated lumber became a concern when the EPA discovered that the toxic substance often leaks out of pressure-treated wood.

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a pesticide used in manufacturing pressure-treated wood, contains arsenic. The EPA committee suggested testing children's urine for traces of arsenic. One possible solution to prevent exposure involves coating existing arsenic-treated wood with a sealant. However, environmentalists say using safer, non-arsenic laden preservatives remains the best answer.