The British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing Association (BWPDA) is to co-ordinate the response to a draft EU proposal which, if approved, could mean severe restrictions imposed on uses of CCA-treated timber as early as mid-2004.
An emergency meeting of timber industry representatives in Derby this week heard that, under a draft Marketing and Use Directive amendment published on December 10, use of CCA-treated timber could be limited to cooling towers, sleepers and telegraph poles. An Internet consultation period is scheduled to end on February 8.
BWPDA director Dr Chris Coggins said the draft had come ‘out of the blue’ and fell outside an established regime for assessing wood preservatives on a scientific basis.
