What does pressure treated lumber do to soil that you can't use it near vegetable gardens?

Question

What does pressure treated lumber do to soil that you can't use it near vegetable gardens?

Answer 1

Old pressure treated lumber contained chromated copper arsenate which is a nasty poison. It should not be used at all and was banned in 2004. Most new pressure treated lumber contains two copper compounds that are much less toxic, but still I would not trust it close to food plants, especially when the lumber is new.

There is another sort of pressure treated lumber - treated with borate - that is safe around food products, children and pets. Borates have a very low toxicity.

Answer 2

Old school pressure treating contained a poison that migrated into the soil and was absorbed by the vegetables. Even with the newer, safer, methods, I wouldn't use pressure treated lumber near food crops.

Answer 3

They no longer make or use the toxic pressure treated lumber.

Below is what they use to use

inorganic arsenic, copper, and chromium called chromated copper arsenate (CCA) as a wood preservative.

http://ceramicadditive.com/encapsulate.h...

Answer 4

We always use pressure treated lumber, and have never had any problems with it doing anything to soil.  

Answer 5

Pressure treated lumber can contain toxic compounds such as arsenic. You should avoid using pressure treated lumber near vegetable beds because of these toxins that will leach out of the lumber and, over time, build up in the adjacent soil. From the soil, these toxins will work their way into your vegetables.