This is a safety concern for all parents with young children

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According to a recent article in Good Housekeeping magazine, some outdoor decks (built before December 2003) can be hazardous to your child's health. As a parent of a small child this was of major concern to me. And, I wanted to pass along the information, just in case you hadn't heard about it. Seems that some wood used to build decks, playground equiment, and picnic tables may have been treated with a derivative of arsenic to help it resist rotting and bug damage. But as the wood ages and is exposed to the weather, this arsenic can leach out onto the surface, where it is then picked up by children, pets and anyone that comes in contact with the surface. As I'm sure you know, arsenic is deadly to humans. In one family's situation, the contamination was so bad, that everytime it rained, their deck would ooze toxic green liquid. And, even if you don't have a deck built onto your home, you can be exposed to the danger if you visit a home that has one. Some signs of arsenic poisoning might include a headache or generally feeling sick. I'm not sure how you would go about getting your deck tested. But, if you notice that your family is experiencing unusual medical symptoms that have no obvious explanation, and you have some of the affected wood structures, you might check into it.