OK, this is a piece of string question, but I have very limited experience of this and any information would probably be helpful. We have had a creosote spill which has penetrated into the foundations of one of our offices. Staff reported symptoms of respiratory distress and eye irritation, both of which which can be caused by creosote. We (the H&S people) didn't find out about this until somebody became acutely ill; office has been evacuated and groundworks have been carried out. Environmental sampling of the air in the building has come back clear since we dug a hole out the back and carted all the stuff away. I guess my question is; would a small amount of creosote in the ground under a building be enough to cause physical symptoms, or would it take a fairly high concentration/long exposure to do so? As I say, I'm a bit in the dark here: I do know that creosote is a mix of very nasty substances, and that its use is restricted, but I don't know if it's a sufficient cause for the reported symptoms.

John

You used to be able to buy it to paint your garden fence ! though I thought it was illegal to make it now?

As I said in the railway sleeper thread linked below - it is vile stuff with very restricted professional use only.  I presume that you have thoroughly investigated the original spill and the source of significant amounts present.  the minimum ontainer size for supply is 20 litres, if I remember rightly, and the decanting into smaller amounts is prohibited.

Digging out is the only means to correct the problem and I have known coal tips to emit significant odours 20 years after tip closure.  Many of the compounds have a low threshold of smell even below any harmful level. 

REPORTED.

Three posts, three hidden links.

Thanks to RVT for highlighting the previous posts.

P