![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081111002603im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Creosote and its Use as a Wood Preservative
Quick Resources
- Contact the National Pesticide Information
Center (NPIC) 1-800-858-7378
- Wood preservative factsheets
Current as of April 2008
Creosote is a wood preservative used for commercial purposes only; it has no registered residential uses. Creosote is obtained from high temperature distillation of coal tar (itself a mixture of hundreds of organic substances), and over 100 components in creosote have been identified. It is used as a fungicide, insecticide, miticide, and sporicide to protect wood and is applied by pressure methods to wood products, primarily utility poles and railroad ties.
EPA is reassessing creosote as part of its reregistration program for older pesticides. The Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for creosote is scheduled for September 30, 2008. Federal law directs EPA to periodically reevaluate older pesticides to ensure that they continue to meet current safety standards. We have updated this fact sheet to reflect recent changes in the status of the registration for creosote.
Timeline for Reregistration/Risk Assessment
- April 16, 2008 - FR Notice of Availability Creosote Revised Risk Assessments and Qualitative Economic Analysis of the Alternatives; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Risk Reduction Options
- Preliminary Risk Assessment documents available in Regulations.gov Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2003-0248
Questions & Answers
Creosote Regulatory Status:
- Federal Register: September 15, 2004 (69 FR 55623), Response to Requests to Cancel Certain Creosote Wood Preservative Products, and/or to Amend to Terminate Certain Uses of Other Creosote Products.
- Federal Register: December 5, 2003 (68 FR 68042), Notice of Availability of the Preliminary Risk Assessment for Creosote Reregistration Eligibility Decision.
- Notice of Receipt of Request to Cancel Certain Creosote and Acid Copper Chromate (ACC) Wood Preservative Products, and/or Amend to Terminate Certain Uses of Other Creosote Products; Extension of Comment Period: 68 FR 66413, 11/26/03
- Notice of Receipt of Request to Cancel Certain Creosote and Acid Copper Chromate (ACC) Wood Preservative Products, and/or Amend to Terminate Certain Uses of Other Creosote Products: 68 FR 55952, 9/29/03
- Creosote: Risk Assessment and Science Support Branch's Revised Preliminary Risk Assessments and Science Chapters in Support of The Reregistration Eligibility Decision, EPA's Docket #OPP-2003-0248.
Related Links:
- The preliminary risk assessment for creosote is a cooperative re-evaluation between the US EPA and
Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)
under NAFTA, with both countries contributing to
the study review and peer review process. Exposure data used in the preliminary
risk assessment were collected from both US and Canadian wood-treatment
facilities.