(The Santa Cruz Sentinel posted the following article by Jeanene Harlick on its website on April 28.)
APTOS, Calif. — Bundles of railroad ties soaked in a toxic wood preservative and sitting along the Union Pacific rail line are prompting concern from Aptos-area residents who say they pose a health risk to children.
The bundles, which dot the tracks from Watsonville to Davenport, are part of Union Pacific s effort to repair a line that has seen two derailments since December. The company plans to install 34,000 ties during the next six weeks. Construction started last week in Watsonville.
Sylvia Previtali, a longtime environmental health advocate living in Rio del Mar, said the creosote used to preserve the ties is harmful for children playing near them and adults taking walks along the line.
“It has carcinogenic chemicals and causes birth defects,” said Previtali, who wants the ties stored elsewhere.
Supervisor Ellen Pirie s office also wants the ties moved to areas inaccessible to children, said an office spokesperson.
But John Browmley, spokesman for Union Pacific, said the ties are staying where they are and pose no harm to passers-by, who are trespassing if they get close enough to touch the wooden slats.
“We re well aware of the complaints and are doing the best we can to mitigate concerns, but we ve got to repair the railroad,” he said. “It’s not practical for us to put them somewhere else.”
Creosote is only harmful if consumed, Browmley said.
“If you (touch) it, you can get a rash on your arms, but as to it being a health menace, I don t think so,” he said.
At the request of residents, Union Pacific removed ties sitting directly behind three homes last week, and plans to rearrange its schedule to complete the Santa Cruz portion of the line — which runs through a more-densely populated area — first, Browmley said. Most complaints Union Pacific has received have been about the strong odor the wood preservative gives off.
The substance, also known as coal tar, is exempted from federal hazardous waste controls when it s used to treat wood.
Ed Kendig with the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District said creosote releases no harmful toxins into the air, unless it s burned.
“My understanding is it s not particularly a threat,” he said.
According to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, brief contact with large amounts of creosote can cause skin rashes, chemical burns on the surfaces of the eyes, convulsions and mental confusion, kidney or liver problems, unconsciousness and death.
Long-term contact has been shown to cause cancer of the scrotum in chimney sweeps, according to the disease registry.
Creosote has been found in 46 of the 1,613 “Superfund” sites designated for long-term cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The European Union banned the sale and use of creosote in 1999, and the EPA has said coal tar is a probable human carcinogen.
Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, introduced a bill in February that would ban the use and manufacturing of creosote and two other wood preservatives starting in January 2005.