Ive got a load of sleepers left off a job. Only trouble is theyre creosoted
Its a bit of a can of worms , I know, but theyre really knarly and would look terrific as benches (which is what the intended use is).
What I wanted to know was, is there any way of sealing/removing basically making the creosote safe for the intended use?
No they will always continue to seep for years especially in hot weather meaning your clothes will get ruined and they will poison the surrounding ground. The tanin in the oak can also stain paving etc. You could try a resin laquer to basically seal them but you would alter the look of them.
i believe the use of creosote is now banned and should not be used to come into contact with any skin.
from wiki
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), eating food or drinking water contaminated with high levels of coal tar creosote may cause a burning in the mouth and throat, and stomach pains.
ATDSR also states that brief direct contact with large amounts of coal tar creosote may result in a rash or severe irritation of the skin, chemical burns of the surfaces of the eyes, convulsions and mental confusion, kidney or liver problems, unconsciousness, and even death. Longer direct skin contact with low levels of creosote mixtures or their vapors can result in increased light sensitivity, damage to the cornea, and skin damage. Longer exposure to creosote vapors can cause irritation of the respiratory tract.
Giles
Groundworks and Equestrian specialists, prestige new builds and sports pitches. High Peak, Cheshire, South Yorkshire area.
Yes, in large doses,but that's the same for everything. Im not advocating the drinking of creosote, but just wanted to see if there was a way around this problem, as all sleepers ,up till the 90's were infused in his way it is .After all essentially a natural product derived from the processing of beech and the oil of the creosote bush.
Also from Wiki.......
A 2005 mortality study of creosote workers found no evidence supporting an increased risk of cancer death as a result of exposure to creosote. Based on the findings of the largest mortality study to date of workers employed in creosote wood treating plants, there is no evidence that employment at creosote wood-treating plants or exposure to creosote-based preservatives was associated with any significant mortality increase from either site-specific cancers or non-malignant diseases. The study consisted of 2,179 employees at eleven plants in the United States where wood was treated with creosote preservatives. Some workers began work in the 1940s to 1950s. The observation period of the study covered 1979- 2001. The average length of employment was 12.5 years. One third of the study subjects was employed for over 15 years.[5]
Back when I was a teenager, one of the crappy jobs I was given on a site in Wigan was to creosote the boundary fence, which would have been 3-400m in length and 2m high.
It was June. It was roasting hot (remember: this was back in the days when we used to have summers). I was in a rush to get finished because a gang of us were going down to the Stonehenge festival to see Hawkwind and, allegedly, Gong.
The sweat was pouring off me; the fumes from the creosote were intense and getting me a bit high, but I worked through until 9pm and got the job done. The next day, my face felt itchy and hot and tender, and then this spread to my arms and shoulders and chest. On day two, now re-located to Stonehenge, my face and arms and chest began to blister, and I was in severe discomfort. My mates persuaded me to go down to the St. Ann's Jumbulance tent, were I was put in a camp bed with OD'ed junkies to either side of me, and slathered in "ointment".
Apparently, the volatile creosote fumes had dissolved into the sweat on my body and literally burnt the top layer of skin off all exposed surfaces. It had taken a couple of days for the worst of the effects to become evident, and I had to spend a night in the medical tent....it should have been two, but Hawkwind were playing on the second night so I discharged myself.
