Comments on: How to Tell If Wood Pallets are Safe for Crafting

By: Real Quintin

Real Quintin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:38:00 +0000

It is nice to here it straight from the horses mouth!! Also, everyone is complaining and worried about pressure treated wood, yet, these are the same people that build decks, kids playgrounds, and picnic tables out of this same wood. Ironic.

By: Moyo Mitchell

Moyo Mitchell — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:04:00 +0000

I think that their point is the pallets which are treated with chemicals may maintain some of those chemicals within the wood. If you’re growing food on those pallets, there is a chance that the chemicals may contaminate the soil and therefore the food.

By: Moyo Mitchell

Moyo Mitchell — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:02:00 +0000

Good info, thanks

By: nick s

nick s — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:16:00 +0000

hi, i am nick @92bc766173c92f559909f906bd32a3bc:disqus There is ALOT of misinformation in this article. Heat treating wood or pallets don’t use chemicals in the process. IPPC stamped pallets are heat treated no usage chemical here correct. Wood Pallets with no stamp are good to reuse, no chemicals use here correct. You will find more pallets without stamps than those with stamps correct. Basically it boils down to cost correct. It costs a LOT of money to treat pallets, so nearly every domestic pallet is not treated. Chemically Fumigate Methyl Bromide, which is marked MB correct. I would not use MB marked pallets for anything. Formaldehyde to the best of my knowledge is in import plywood and imported wood furniture or panel product not just pallets? Scott is correct, These posts are cracking me up. I treat pallets for a living with both HT and MB. There are absolutely no dangers associated with either one of these types. HT is treated with heat only and MB is treated with a “gas” that evaporates from the wood within 30 minutes of aeration. The reason the pallets are treated is to kill disease carrying organisms,…(ie. bugs). These can be bugs that are too small to see with the naked eye. Now, let’s rethink this. Would you rather have a pallet with and HT/MB mark saying all dangerous bugs have been killed, or one without a mark saying it has never been treated for bugs?? Pressure treated chemical’s here is used daily in home owners decks and some people use it for picnic table BUT NOT ME. i am Atlas Wood Products a industrial wood provider in phila, pa contact 215-PALLET4

By: mowgli

mowgli — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:26:00 +0000

According to that site wooden pallets weight between 70 and 80 pounds…I must be supeman then. They also have 150 nails apparently! These two “facts” are easily proven wrong just by looking at a pallet and lifting it. If information as basic as that is incorrect we can all decide for ourselves about the veracity of the rest.

By: e baker

e baker — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:56:00 +0000

I appreciate the post, but worry there’s more speculation than science. Just because something seems POSSIBLE does not mean it’s PROBABLE and certainly does not mean it’s PROVEN. I see a lot of talk on the internet about how dangerous pallets are because they’re exposed to bird droppings and insects and moisture, which would promote mold or mildew growth, but you know what else fits those warnings…. picnic tables. When those are the criteria, my picnic table is absolutely disgusting. Birds leave their mark constantly, it gets rained on (and the dew sets on it) time and time again, and bugs love it, and yet here I am with my family having a meal a couple times a week, and much of the food we eat there is eaten with our hands that have just touched the table (burgers, fries, corn on the cob, etc.). So, my point is, are there studies PROVING the danger of pallets, or is it all just speculation? Pseudoscience can be pretty convincing, but show me the facts. And being an engineer, if there ARE facts, I WILL listen to them.

By: e baker

e baker — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:55:00 +0000

What is the proof that they are dangerous? Just because it was treated with a chemical, that does not mean the chemical will become airborne and even if it DID, that the concentration and exposure levels would be of any concern. Your house is FULL of toxic substances, but they are of no danger to you. Where is the PROOF that pallets are harmful?