Assessment of children's exposure to arsenic from CCA-wood staircases at apartment complexes in Florida

•Total As in soils under 2-story CCA-wood staircases ranged from 1.7 to 66.6 mg/kg•Bioaccessible soil As concentrations were 1.4 – 25.2 mg/kg based on SBRC method•Dislodgeable As on CCA-wood railings ranged from 2.8 to 162 µg/100 cm²•Estimated daily doses of As in children ages 1-6 were 0.09 – 34.6 µg/d•Estimated cancer risks for children ages 1-6 ranged from 9.2×10–6 to 3.9×10–5

Arsenic exposure from wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) remains a concern due to its presence around homes. This study evaluated children's exposure to As from CCA-treated staircases through determination of bioaccessible soil As and measurements of dislodgeable As on hand railings, steps and surfaces of household objects impacted by CCA–wood leachate. Total As concentrations in 84 soil samples from 4 apartment complexes were elevated at 1.2–66.6 mg/kg with bioaccessible As at 17–84%. Deterministic risk equations were used to estimate daily doses of As in children with estimates ranging from 0.41–54.9 μg/day from ingestion of dislodgeable As. Lifetime average daily doses from ingestion of dislodgeable As and soil ranged from 8.1 × 10− 6 to 3.0 × 10− 5 mg/kg/day, with estimated cancer risks being 1.2–4.5 × 10− 5. Collectively, these results highlight potential health risks in children who have near-daily exposure to As from CCA-wood and are consistent with estimates generated by USEPA's SHEDS-Wood probabilistic exposure model.

Graphical abstractChild playing under CCA wood staircase in soil with 19 mg/kg As.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide