US - Pentachlorophenol will be Phased out in Five Years

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final registration review decision requiring the cancellation of pentachlorophenol (PCP), a wood preservative used primarily on utility poles and cross arms. During the registration review process, EPA found that given the emergence of viable alternatives, the risks PCP poses to workers' health outweigh the benefits of its use.​

As a result, the use of PCP is being phased out over five years beginning in 2022. Until February 29, 2024, registrants may continue to produce, sell, and distribute wood preservatives containing PCP while wood treatment facilities transition from PCP to alternatives. After that time, wood treatment facilities will be allowed to use their existing stocks of PCP to produce treated wood until February 28, 2027.