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Ask This Old House
Poisonous Picnic Table? The swing set and picnic table in our backyard are made from CCA pressure-treated wood. I’ve been told it's unsafe to let children play or sit on these structures. Is that true? D. P. Krause, Delphi, Ind. Kevin O'Connor replies: I did some digging and found that the Environmental Protection Agency has been conducting tests to figure out the best ways to eliminate or reduce the risks of exposure to wood treated with CCA, a preservative made of copper, chromium, and arsenic.