Poisonous Pallets

[Cosmic]

Thanks largely to the generosity of a local warehouse, my supply of firewood for this year consists largely of pallets. Most of them have a symbol stamped on them that looks a lot like this:

 

 

I guessed that this indicated its country of origin and a code for the manufacturer. Although it does include this, the most important part of the stamp from a boater's point of view is the letters "HT". This means that the pallet has been heat treated to kill off any plant diseases that might otherwise be exported around the world.

 

Most pallets should have such a stamp, but there are some, particularly those from the USA, that may have the letters "MB" instead. This means that they have been fumigated with a rather nasty chemical called bromomethane, also known as methyl bromide. Pallets with this mark should definitely not be burned. Although the use of this chemical has been phased out in the USA, it is still possible to find them in use.

 

I reckon that the USA is the most likely source of these pallets because of the amount of trade we do with them. However, there are other countries that have used it in the past, and these may not have been so meticulous in the marking of their pallets. As far as I can tell, the only country that still uses bromomethane is Chile, and they are due to phase out its use from 2015.

[real_vibes]

Very handy. Thanks for sharing

[Pie Eater]

I remember being told that tanalised timber should not be burned in a squirrel stove - anyone know if this is true.

 

Steve

[County4x4]

Tanalised timber shouldn't be burned in any domestic stove! The current Tanalith "E" formula is less nasty than the old stuff, which was based on a Copper Chromium Arsenic compound (CCA), but will still produce some nasty compounds when burned. Along with mdf, plywood and chipboard, tanalised timber should only be incinerated commercially, where temperatures are high enough to break down the toxic compounds produced. Old tanalised timber can also concentrate some unpleasant stuff in the ash, which can end up blowing around the boat.

 

I always ask people if they'd mind their kids running round in the smoke if a neighbour was burning this stuff on their fire.

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

[Pie Eater]

Tanalised timber shouldn't be burned in any domestic stove! The current Tanalith "E" formula is less nasty than the old stuff, which was based on a Copper Chromium Arsenic compound (CCA), but will still produce some nasty compounds when burned. Along with mdf, plywood and chipboard, tanalised timber should only be incinerated commercially, where temperatures are high enough to break down the toxic compounds produced. Old tanalised timber can also concentrate some unpleasant stuff in the ash, which can end up blowing around the boat.

 

I always ask people if they'd mind their kids running round in the smoke if a neighbour was burning this stuff on their fire.

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

Thanks for that Andy, I'll stick to clean old wood in future.

 

Steve

[County4x4]

Good man Steve

 

Andy

[Jacq]

Telegraph poles are another source to be avoided , as older ones are treated with CCA.

[Smelly]

Hows about old railway sleepers, or stop planks? I know of a stack of stop planks that failed a stress test.