environmental Strategist, between the lines: Liability, creates change and this is a liability issue that is, and will create change for the masses. CCA treated lumber will have a vertical and horizontal liability impact.
From the manufacturers to distributors, property owners, contractors, disposers, governmental entities and the list goes on. I see this playing out much like asbestos and we all know the tens of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been consumed by asbestos liability.
As this article points out, most environmental problems are not sudden and accidental issues but gradual. They happen over a period of time. It can take years before environmental issues surface. That is why taking this competitive intelligence and including it in your environmental Management Strategy (eMS) today, can be one of your best lines of defense in dealing with CCA treated lumber issues. For the last few years, environmental Strategist, have been working with TEAM members to make sure this issue is proactively addressed in their eMS.
Who are you working with that needs this competitive intelligence? As the article points out, how about contractors who dispose of old treated lumber in construction and demolition debris landfills that are unlined allowing arsenic to leach out into the environment. This will be another Superfund issue with its joint, strict and several liability. We already know how costly this can become by looking at past Superfund facts. Such as, in the past, statistics show that $.83 cents of every dollar that went into Superfund went to legal fees and only $.17 cents went to actual cleanup. When you figure the average Superfund site cost in excess of $25,000,000 to cleanup you begin to understand the enormity of this whole CCA treated lumber liability issue.
What can the contractor’s future liability be? Maybe they need to change their strategy in dealing with disposing of treated lumber just the same as transporters deal with disposal of industrial and hazardous waste by developing a proactive plan that takes the liability off the contractor and places it upon the current owner of the wood. Make sure to address the issue in purchase orders, manifest, contracts. Is your legal TEAM member addressing this issue? As the environmental Strategist you’re the TEAM leader. By introducing this competitive intelligence it further supports, why you, are the TEAM leader.
What about composting facilities that take CCA treated lumber and shred it and mix it and then sell it so the arsenic liability keeps growing and exacerbating? How about owners of playgrounds made of CCA treated lumber. Owners of docks, decks, furniture you get the picture.
Be proactive and share this competitive intelligence with your clients. You can find more on the environmental Strategist resource library at www.estrategist.com.
Who is your environmental Strategist?
| Treated Wood Poses Long-Term Threat |