Innov-X introduces handheld analyzer to detect CCA.Innov-X Systems Inc., Woburn, Mass., has introduced a handheld chemical analyzer that can help identify toxins in soil, according to a release from the company. Chromated Copper Arsenate Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a wood preservative used for timber treatment, in use since the mid-1930's. It is a mix of copper, chromium, and arsenic formulated as oxides or salts. (CCA (1) (Common Cryptographic Architecture) Cryptography software from IBM for MVS and DOS applications. (2) (Compatible Communications A ) had been used for decades in treating wood used in outdoor playground equipment, says Don Sackett, president of Innov-X Systems. And although manufacturers of CCA voluntarily agreed with the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and (EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. ) to stop manufacturing CCA-treated wood for most consumer applications in December 2003, arsenic can leach out of aging wood onto the surface or surrounding soil, creating potential health hazards, Sackett says. Innov-X's handheld XRF analyzer can identify arsenic in soils or CCA-treated wood in two or three seconds, providing a useful tool in assessing and eliminating risks of tainted soil, he says. According to a release from Innov-X, a study by the University of Massachusetts The system includes UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth (affiliated with Cape Cod Community College), UMass Lowell, and the UMass Medical School. It also has an online school called UMassOnline. and Wellesley College identified at least 18 Boston playgrounds with arsenic-tainted soil, 10 of which had dangerously high levels of the carcinogen "We need to make it a priority to identify sites for clean up of pollutants and the CCA-wood for proper disposal," Sackett says. "We need to use the tools we have at our disposal to eliminate the risk to our children." The analyzer is an x-ray tube-based portable tool capable of identifying copper, chrome, arsenic and over 20 other metals, according to Innov-X. |
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