The US has decided against a ban of arsenic-treated timber in playgrounds because most manufacturers no longer use the chemical anyway.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said a ban was unnecessary as the industry had agreed last year to stop treating wood with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) following discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The commission acknowledges that children who have played on CCA-treated playground equipment face an increased risk of lung or bladder cancer.
Meanwhile, it is working with the EPA to find ways of coating existing CCA-treated timber to seal in the arsenic.
