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I just heard that Pressure Treated wood is not safe and can increase the risk of cancer.

I am a DIYer, and very new to the field.

once I heard that I started googling and apparently there are different kinds of Pressure Treating (ACQ, CCA, etc).

I am not sure what kind the wood I used, so I took a picture maybe someone can help.

here is the photo

enter image description here

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    Unless you are eating it or less chance when using for a vegetable garden and not washing your hands after using it, cancer risk is quite low. If you are making the wood with the chemicals everyday, then I would be concerned.
    – crip659
    Commented Jan 17, 2023 at 23:42
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    also wear a dusk mask when sawing it, but again this is much more impoirtant for repeated exposure than if occasional exposure.
    – Jasen
    Commented Jan 18, 2023 at 10:51
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    You should wear a dust mask no matter what kind of wood you're cutting, PT or otherwise. Also, the wood in your picture is "SPF". That's "Spruce-Pine-Fir", i.e. whatever what cheapest on the day the mill was buying logs to cut. That says nothing whatsoever about the kind of PT chemicals that were used. That would, most likely, be on a label stapled/glued to the end of the board at the lumber mill.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jan 18, 2023 at 12:13
  • Safe for what purpose?
    – keshlam
    Commented Feb 15, 2023 at 7:16

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You have a #2 spruce/pine/fir board that was kiln dried/heat treated; the grading was done by the Ontario Lumber Manufacturers Agency following the National Lumber Grading Authority for determining the grade number. The board was processed by Ryam Bois D’Oeuvre Usine La Sarre in Quebec.

I know all this because of this page: http://olma.ca/grading/ The only thing I couldn't find is what R 1/4 means; maybe means 1/4 rounded?

The problem is that apparently pressure treatment is designated by a tag that is stuck/stapled to the end of the board. It will tell you things about the amount and type of chemical used to pressure treatment.

We haven't used CCA in the U.S. or Canada for about 20 years; CCA was deemed a health hazard. ACQ (and a few variants used today) are considered a safer alternative.

I can't tell if that board is pressure treated, but if it is and you haven't been hoarding it for 15 years, it is almost certainly not CCA.

Either way, the proper handling is gloves (really for splinters), wash hands after handling, do not use the wood for things like cutting boards, and do not burn.

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  • agreed CCA is green (in colour) so almost certainly not CCA
    – Jasen
    Commented Jan 18, 2023 at 10:49

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