Also Known As:
wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, coal tar pitch volatiles
Creosote is a thick, greasy liquid with colors depending on the type. Wood creosote is colorless to yellowish, coal tar creosote is amber to black and coal tar and coal tar pitch are dark brown or black. In the past wood creosote was used as a disinfectant, laxative and cough treatment. Coal tar is used in medicines that treat skin conditions and in animal and bird repellents, insecticides, fungicides and some pesticides. Coal tar creosote is the most common wood preservative in the United States. Coal tar, coal tar pitch and coal tar pitch volatiles are used in roofing, road paving, aluminum smelting and coking.
All uses are commercial. There are no registered uses for consumer products.
Herbal Supplements
Some supplements contain leaves from the creosote bush. You can be exposed by consuming supplements that contain this ingredient.
Occupational
Workers can be exposed if they handle creosote in manufacturing products or if they handle creosote treated products at work.
Water
Drinking water contaminated by an industrial site. Creosote breaks down very slowly in groundwater.
Treated Wood Exposure
Wood such as utility poles can use creosote as a preservative. Some building structures may also contain wood preserved with creosote.
Creosote has been found in at least 33 of the 1,430 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency
ToxFAQs for Creosote. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. September 2002. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts85.html.
There are over 100 components in creosote.
Creosote and its Use as a Wood Preservative. US Environmental Protection Agency. November 2008. http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/chemicals/creosote_main.htm.
Creosote is most commonly used in railroad ties, poles, piles and heavy timbers. Creosote treated wood usually cannot be painted due to characteristics of the creosote preservative.
Ibach, Rebecca E., Wood Preservation. http://pi.ace.orst.edu/search/showPDF.s;jsessionid=FBBD8771EF05E2AD4871B7F4EE3BB932?docNum=1#xml=http://pi.ace.orst.edu/search/pdfHL.s?docNum=1
See if your personal care products contain creosote or coal tar at the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database.
Assume preserved wood that is not intended for residential use has creosote. If possible, ask about wood with which you and your family regularly come in contact to find out whether you need to be concerned about creosote preservative.
Make sure that anyone applying pesticides to your lawn is certified and licensed in the field to ensure the applicator knows and follows regulations regarding pesticide use in residential areas. Ask if any of the chemicals contain creosote.
Do not allow children to play around utility poles, railroad ties or other wood used on docks and similar structures. Some young children will chew on the wood or they can touch it and put contaminated hands in their mouths.
When renovating a deck or porch, consider materials that don’t require preservatives instead of preserved wood. Choose dietary supplements that do not include creosote leaves.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-62
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 888-422-8737
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs (Division Mail Code)
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20460
http://www.epa.gov
Environmental Working Group: Cosmetic Safety Database
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1