EWG RELATED REPORTS
All Hands on Deck
Nationwide consumer testing of backyard decks and playsets shows high levels of arsenic on old wood [more]
Poisonwood Rivals
Nationwide sampling in 13 metropolitan areas found harmful levels of cancer-causing arsenic on the surface of "pressure-treated" wood purchased at Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse stores [more]
Poisoned Playgrounds
EWG and the Healthy Building Network petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban the sale of arsenic-treated lumber for playgrounds [more]
OUR PARTNERS
Healthy Building Network
The Safe Playgrounds Project
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Is there arsenic in your back yard?
Find out with our simple home test kit
Why test?
Most outdoor lumber is treated with arsenic, which easily rubs off of the surface of the wood onto skin and clothing. Arsenic causes cancer, and children are at a particular risk for high exposures because they play on arsenic treated wood, and put their hands in their mouths much more often than adults. A simple home test can tell you how much arsenic is on your deck, playset, or picnic table, and in the soil below.
Choosing a test kit
We offer three basic test kits. You can choose the kits in any combination, and can also choose extra wood wipe samples or soil samples a la carte:
- Wood wipe kit. A simple wipe test will tell you how much arsenic rubs off the wood surface. $20 each
- "Hot spot" soil test kit. Will identify high or medium levels of arsenic contamination in the soil beneath or near your wood. $20 each
- "Detailed" soil test kit. Will identify even low levels of arsenic contamination in soil by correcting for your yard's "background" levels. $35 each
Note: a modest $5 fee is added to each order to cover lab supplies and shipping.
How to order
It's easy. Either opt to pay securely by credit card, or by check. (If paying by check, choose the test kit(s) you would like to order, and fill out and print the order form. Mail the form and a check for the amount of your order to the address at the bottom of the order form.) Your sampling kit(s) will arrive within a week of when we receive your order.
Test your wood and soil and mail the samples back to the lab. You will receive your test results within one to two weeks, with a explanation of the results.
In the meantime, you can take these ten simple steps to reduce your family's exposures to arsenic.
About the laboratory
The testing will be done by the University of North Carolina Asheville's Environmental Quality Institute, a state-of-the-art laboratory. Your samples will be part of a major national research program conducted by the University.
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