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Creosote is the name that is used for a variety of products, including wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. Coal derived creosote is what has raised the most concern in recent years. Every year, 825 million pounds of creosote are used to in order to protect the wood from environmental breakdown and wood attacking pests. Creosote an be found on telephone poles, marine pilings, railroads ties, as well as other creosote treated wood in building fences, bridges, homes, and other places. Creosote Exposure In 1978, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledged that exposure to the popular wood preservative creosote posed a carcinogenic danger to humans. Exposure to creosote has been linked to causing cancer. Long-term exposure to all different forms of creosote, which include wood creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch and coal tar pitch volatiles, has been specifically linked to cancer of the skin and scrotum. Chimney sweeps are in particular danger of developing these types of cancer from long-term exposure to soot and coal tar creosotes. Maybe we should all stop burning wood, wood products, coal and coal by products (support big corp increase their profits more) switch to naturial gas or oil. Seems to me common sense comes into play here, Don't over load furnance, make sure damper and all other controls are working properly. When times were hard,in early 40's, we burnt ties in an old pot belly stove, house did not burn down, none of us died of skin cancer...We just used COMMON SENSE in heating with wood and wood products...JMHO
PS.. Still heating with wood today!!! Keith
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