Do You Know Where Your Wood Pallet Has Been???

[Stick486]

Do you know where your wood pallet has been?

Ask Natural Life
Do You Know Where Your Wood Pallet Has Been?
by Wendy Priesnitz

Photo © Vitaly Titov & Maria Sidelnikova/Shutterstock

Q: I’m seeing a huge number of cool-looking projects on the Internet using wooden shipping pallets, from flooring to beds (including baby cribs) and tables to garden furniture...even cutting boards. At first, I thought it was a great way to “upcycle” and they seem to be a wonderful source of found wood. But as I think about it, I’m wondering if the wood is treated in any way that could be harmful. Could you look into this please?

A: You’re right to be extremely cautious about what is being brought inside when a pallet is rescued from a dumpster or a pile behind a store or warehouse. We receive shipments of magazines and books on pallets on a regular basis, and we normally give them back to the shipping company for re-use the next time they make a delivery. Some of them are in good shape, but some of them are beyond being ready to be retired. I would not want to use those dirty, broken bits of wood in my home.

The cheapest pallets – the ones that you’ll often find discarded as trash – are made of softwood and may contain pressboard or other low-grade engineered wood (typically as the spacers between two layers of slats). Hardwood pallets – along with their plastic counterparts – are costlier, and often require a deposit so they are returned to the sender for re-use.

Be extremely cautious about what is being brought inside when a pallet is rescued from a dumpster or a pile behind a store or warehouse. Does it harbor bugs, bacteria, or chemicals?

 

No matter what the pallet is made of, its life is probably an adventurous one. They are loaded with products, then put into trucks, transported to their destination, and unloaded. Then, if they’re still in one piece, the cycle begins again, making it difficult to know where the pallet has been. We do know that pallets often spend some time outdoors in spite of industry “best practice” recommendations – think back alleys – where they are inevitably exposed to water (which can quickly breed mold), rodents, insects, bird droppings, and who knows what else. (And, of course, those are the pallets that often end up in garages and workshops, destined for various craft projects.)

 

In spite of the hygienic properties of wood, the pallets harbor whatever pathogens they’re exposed to and can, as a result, carry dangerously high bacteria counts. In 2010, after an outbreak of E. coli on romaine lettuce, the Washington-based National Consumers League (NCL) called for stricter safety standards for the pallets used to transport food throughout the United States. NCL had an independent lab test pallets for food borne pathogens and found that ten percent of them tested positive for E.coli and almost three percent tested positive for Listeria, one of the most virulent food borne pathogens with a twenty to thirty percent rate of mortality. They also found high aerobic plate counts, which reflect unsanitary conditions and where bacteria could easily grow, on approximately one third of the wood pallets.

Those findings were replicated by Pace Analytical testing lab (on behalf of iGPS, an international plastic pallet rental service), which echoed the NCL’s call for stronger standards for shipping pallets.

To add to the potential bacterial danger, products that are shipped on pallets – including imported produce and other materials – are routinely fumigated with toxic pesticides, sometimes in order to be allowed into their destination country.

Pallets not used to transport food can also be problematic. Various fungicides such as propiconazole (a suspected carcinogen) are common treatments. A few years ago, McNeil Consumer Healthcare was involved in two product recalls attributed to contamination from treated pallets. A Tylenol recall happened after consumers complained of a moldy, musty, mildew-like odor that was associated with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The odor was attributed to wood pallets that had been treated with a mold control chemical called “tribromophenol” or TBP. Later, the diabetes drug Glumetza was also recalled due to TBP contamination, thought to have originated with pallets used to transport the product’s bottles to its contract manufacturer in Puerto Rico. TBP is not sanctioned in many countries, including the USA (although other mold treatments are).

The reverse can also happen, and harmful materials or chemicals that are being transported on a pallet may spill onto the pallet wood, be absorbed, and off-gas or otherwise affect the person reusing the wood or living with the end product.

The millions of pallets that contain pressed wood are also dangerous for repurposing because most engineered wood contains formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen that eco- and health-conscious people try to avoid. It can off-gas from the pallets for quite some time after manufacture.

 

The millions of pallets that contain pressed wood are also dangerous for repurposing because most engineered wood contains formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen that eco- and health-conscious people try to avoid. It can off-gas from the pallets for quite some time after manufacture.

One of the big issues with the use of wooden pallets has been their ability to give a ride to invasive pests. For instance, they are blamed for introducing into Canada the destructive citrus long-horned beetle, the Asian long-horned beetle, and the emerald ash borer. In an attempt to stop this migration of pests, many countries have signed on to a set of International Standards for Phyto- sanitary Measures (ISPM 15) under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Since 2006, most pallets shipped across national borders must be made of materials that are incapable of being a carrier of invasive species of insects and plant diseases.

 

Pallets made of raw, untreated wood are not compliant with ISPM 15. To be compliant, they must be debarked and either heat treated to certain specifications or fumigated with methyl bromide, which effects the central nervous and respiratory systems. Heat treated pallets bear the initials HT (or sometimes KD for kiln dried) near the IPPC logo. Pallets treated with methyl bromide bear the initials MB. In 2010, a phase-out of the use of methyl bromide began because it is an ozone depleting substance under the Montreal Protocol. However, many pre- 2010 pallets are still around and, in fact, are likely to be the ones nearing the end of their useful lives as pallets.

Older pallets could also have been pressure treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which has been phased out for many residential uses. The arsenic in CCA-treated wood can be dislodged so that direct contact with wood can lead to exposure, thought to be a problem especially for children, and it can leach into ground water. A 2008 Australian study found that one percent of pallets tested contained CCA. Copper- treated wood varies in color from a very light green to an intense green color, depending upon the amount of chemical impregnated into the wood. However, it ages to a silver color, as does untreated wood, so color is not a reliable indicator, especially with older wood.

Aside from possible chemical contamination, wood pallets tend to have a relatively low fire flash point, making them combust quite easily. That is why many people like to burn them in bonfires and even stoves (also a bad idea if they’re treated with chemicals). But it also makes them a questionable material from a fire safety perspective for building furniture to be used indoors.

They will be recycled even if you don’t use them. In order to keep them out of landfills, pallets that are beyond repair are increasingly being ground up and used for garden mulch, stove pellets, and animal bedding, or to produce particle- board.

If you can’t resist the free wood, restrict yourself to pallets stamped with “H.” Even so, you still can’t know for sure that the wood has not been tampered with somewhere in its multiple-use life, or contaminated with fungicides, pesticides, other chemicals, mold, or bacteria. Pallets might be okay for outdoor projects like potting benches, flower boxes, and fencing – and some people use them to make compost bins. But my caution about leaching chemicals should be considered when using them to grow food or even to hold compost.

And finally, given the potential risks, I don’t think pallets should ever be used for children’s items or those that will be in contact with food, or for furniture used in a bedroom.

Wendy Priesnitz is Natural Life Magazine’s editor, a journalist with over 35 years of experience, and the author of twelve books. You can visit your website here.

[Al B]

I haven't used pallets for many projects, but those that I have used were larger pallets that carried sheet steel or sheet aluminum. The wood in these pallets always looked like new materials. Lots of guys have been using these pallets for firewood to heat their homes. Sure hope they are clean.

[John Hechel]

working in shipping/receiving I see all kinds of pallets come through the doors most of these I do not care to touch with gloves on much less to bring them into my shop to use.

 

[acr_scout]

I guess I should just shrivel up and hide in the house. 

 

I do try to look closely at what I pick up. Most of what I look through (with permission) is from big box stores.

 

I suspect I'm at bigger risk cutting up MDF for jigs and such.

 

Likewise I don't have dust collection or air filters so other than the disposable masks, I'm screwed.

 

I knew computers were safer but the doctors keep telling me to get off of my backside.

[HARO50]

Most of my working life was spent in a metal-stamping and plating factory. We used to get our electrolytic nickel from Sweden in pine boxes each holding one metric ton. These boxes were emptied, and stacked under an overhanging roof, so they were protected from the elements. We could get permission slips to take as many as we liked. I still have wood from those boxes in my stash, even though the nickel started coming in steel drums about 20 years ago. A co-worker built an entire set of kitchen cabinets from those boxes! Of course, it was all new wood, single-use, and the nickel was in heavy plastic bags, so it was reasonably safe.

John

[Gene Howe]

Japanese crotch rockets used to ship in wooden crates. Wood type varied but, most of it was nice stuff. There were about 6 dealerships I visited regularly.

Nobody got sick using things made from that wood....that I know of.

[p_toad]

ACR,

 

You are doing well to use the face masks at least.  Last time i played with a skid it was 5.5' x 12.5' and it got dropped on me.  I don't play with them any more.   It weighed near 1000 pounds as my neighbor and i couldn't physically lift it at all.

 

If you are pretty confident of your source and how it was used...go for it.

[Al B]

14 hours ago, ACR_SCOUT said:

I don't have dust collection or air filters so other than the disposable masks, I'm screwed.

Safety is obviously important, but it isn't like you are spending all day every day in your shop making dust. The fact that you wear the disposable dust mask is probably giving you more protection than a dust collection unit would provide. While the dust collectors remove most of the larger particles, it's the fine dust that floats in the air that is the real hazard. Even when I had my dust collector, I found that the face mask was collecting a lot more than I expected.

I worked for 16 years on the shipyard as a welder, working inside of tents made of asbestos blanket, and using strip heaters that had asbestos backing to prevent heat loss.  At the time, we didn't know the risks, and the dust floating in the air was quite visible, but somehow we survived it without ever using precautions. 

Take reasonable precautions,  and enjoy your woodworking. I've survived 85 years and my woodworking hobby is what keeps me enjoying each day.

14 hours ago, ACR_SCOUT said:

 

 

 

[Kevin Beitz]

I made food trays with wood from China....

 

 

[1fizgig]

Kevin, would that wood have been lighter weight than most? Just curious, as often I've found wood products or wood used for shipping from there (or thereabouts) is usually quite light weight.

Curious as to what they use.

[Kevin Beitz]

Not sure about weight. Some of the stuff I used has many knots on it.

They must roll cut very small logs with lots of branches.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2019 by Kevin Beitz

[Dadio]

On 12/28/2016 at 5:55 PM, Al B said:

Safety is obviously important, but it isn't like you are spending all day every day in your shop making dust. The fact that you wear the disposable dust mask is probably giving you more protection than a dust collection unit would provide. While the dust collectors remove most of the larger particles, it's the fine dust that floats in the air that is the real hazard. Even when I had my dust collector, I found that the face mask was collecting a lot more than I expected.

I worked for 16 years on the shipyard as a welder, working inside of tents made of asbestos blanket, and using strip heaters that had asbestos backing to prevent heat loss.  At the time, we didn't know the risks, and the dust floating in the air was quite visible, but somehow we survived it without ever using precautions. 

Take reasonable precautions,  and enjoy your woodworking. I've survived 85 years and my woodworking hobby is what keeps me enjoying each day.

 

My Dad was like you ,Al, He worked 28 years in the shipyard as a welder,and the last 15 as a pipe welder. Those guys wrapped themselves in asbestos and wore suits of it, They wrapped the welds in it to slowly cool them off and literally ate the stuff when the lagers were covering the pipes. He lived to be 94 and died of a heart problem.

Herb

Herb

[Al B]

You're right Herb, asbestos was always around us. After my apprenticeship I became a pipe welder and worked hand in hand with the pipe fitters and laggers. I'm now 88.  Probably won't reach 94 but hey, whose complaining. Unfortunately I did know a few laggers who developed asbestosis, but at that time few precautions were taken because no one really knew the dangers. After I left the shipyard I worked in a factory where I spent most of my time Mig welding and Tig welding aluminum industrial air handlers. These are units that clean the air, control moisture and  temperatures for factories,hospitals supermarkets, cargo ships and smaller units for submarines. 

[Dadio]

My hats off to you guys, I know how hard and dirty of an occupation iron working and welding can be. And I might add that in those times everything had asbestos in it. Lots in the HVAC business too.

Herb

[Larry Buskirk]

12 hours ago, Al B said:

These are units that clean the air, control moisture and  temperatures for factories,hospitals supermarkets, cargo ships and smaller units for submarines. 

Al, We referred to these as tempered air units in the shop. (Automotive manufacturing)

... I've got to wonder how many miles of wire I went through on the body shop line.