Wood Preserving Area Sources: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

Rule Summary

Wood preservation is the pressure or thermal impregnation of chemicals into wood to provide effective long-term resistance to attack by fungi, bacteria, insects, and marine borers. The wood preserving industry consists of facilities that treat wood such as lumber, ties, poles, posts, or pilings with a preservative.

The key pollutants EPA regulates from wood preserving sources include, chromium, arsenic, dioxins, and methylene chloride.

The standard has two separate requirements, which include equipment requirements and management practices. For example, facilities using a pressure treatment process are required to use a retort or similarly enclosed vessel when involving any wood preservatives containing chromium, arsenic, dioxins, or methylene chloride. Facilities using a thermal treatment process involving any wood preservatives containing chromium, arsenic, dioxins, or methylene chloride are required to use process treatment tanks.

See the regulations in the section below for more details.