/PRNewswire/ -- Findings on 4x4 posts at residential locations reveal dramatic evidence that wood treated with micronized copper preservative(MCQ(TM)) is decaying more rapidly than anticipated. These decay findings raise serious concerns about the structural integrity and safety of outdoor structures, such as decks and fencing, built with micronized copper preservatives within the last three years.
"We are very concerned about the safety of possibly millions of consumers whose decks and other structures were built with micronized copper-treated wood because the wood may be subject to early failure and possible collapse," said Steve Ainscough, president and CEO of Viance, a leading provider of wood preservation technologies that refuses to offer micronized copper preservatives due to ongoing concerns about the technology.
Residential Findings in Southeastern U.S. Show Evidence of Significant Decay
Today's announcement is based on Viance's in-service findings of decay on 4x4 posts located in multiple residential locations near Atlanta, Georgia and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Timber Products Inspection (TP), a leading independent and accredited wood products inspection and testing organization in the United States, supervised the identification, extraction and testing of the decaying posts at these locations.
TP's reports describe numerous posts receiving a rating of "less than sound" on the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) rating scale. The decaying posts from these multiple subdivisions were rated at "9.5," "9" and "8" on the AWPA's scale of 1 to 10. One post removed from the Georgia location was rated a "7," which the AWPA defines as having moderate to severe attack with 10 to 30% of the cross sectional area subject to decay. A decay rating of 7 or below is considered unserviceable by the building industry. TP verified that the average preservative penetration and retentions for the samples examined met the current retention requirements outlined in the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) requirements for MCQ products. The TP report is available in it's entirety at Viance's website; www.Treatedwood.com. Furthermore, TP's reports indicate that the decay is present in the outside zones of the posts below the ground line, to a depth of nearly one inch on some posts.
According to Lee Gjovik, a widely published independent wood scientist, "Any decay on a post that's only been in service for less than two years represents a significant amount of unexpected decay. Decay ratings of 9.0 or 9.5 should not occur until after many years of service."
"Another cause for concern," explains Ainscough, "is that the decay we're seeing is below the line of sight where consumers may not be able to see or properly inspect the posts. A post's strength comes primarily from the outer surface of the post, and it is also in this area that the preservatives are present and must prevent decay. The hidden or buried portion of a post must have preservatives that work and prevent decay or the post and structures will fail."
These recent decay findings corroborate the results of Viance's ongoing field tests, which were presented to the lumber and building products industries in the spring of 2008 and can be downloaded in their entirety at www.treatedwood.com.
An Overview Of Today's Technologies
Micronized copper-treated wood products were first introduced to the marketplace in 2006. The manufacturers of micronized copper preservatives, Osmose(R), Arch(R) Wood Protection and PhibroWood(R), have not submitted any of these products to the AWPA for review or standardization. Micronized copper wood preservatives are sold to U.S. builders and consumers through more than 5,000 lumberyards and some leading national home center chains.
Viance remains committed to providing its customers with high quality, industry standardized preservatives, such as Preserve(R) ACQ(R) and Ecolife(R) Stabilized, Weather-Resistant Wood, and ongoing information, testing and investigations regarding the performance of micronized copper-treated products.
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1 comment:
This information is misleading. Osmose, who produces MicroPro micronized copper, is very reputable, and does their homework with a team of scientist prior to releasing any product. Viance is desperate because they do not have the capability of producing the next generation of treating technology, so they are on the outside looking in. Years ago Viance also said that CCA was bad because it was treated with trace amounts of arsenic, and of course they had the only other alternative ready, which was ACQ. Scare tactics is bad for Viance and bad for the industry.
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