Four Decades of U.S. EPA Review—and Continuous Federal Registration—of Creosote

摘要

For almost 70 years, coal tar-derived creosote has been federally registered for use as a wood preservative. During the past 40 years, the risks and benefits of creosote, like those of other major industrial wood preservatives, have been reevaluated by U.S. EPA in three successive and comprehensive review processes—Special Review, Reregistration Review, and, currently, Registration Review. These reviews have resulted in an updated and expanded scientific database for creosote, and improved nationally uniform product labeling containing risk mitigation measures for workers in creosote pressure-treatment plants. There is every reason to believe that creosote will continue to meet federal (and state) standards for registration as a pressure-treatmentwood preservative.