In a RTD research programme funded by the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA - Report No. 126-06-010103) a standardised and validated procedure was developed for sampling and analysing wood preservative components in waste wood. For this investigation a realistic quantity of waste wood from house demolition was used and 80 components analysed. The examination of single wood pieces and woodchips prepared therefore showed a good correlation with the retention of wood preservatives. For the estimation of the potential contamination of inhomogenic waste wood samples we developed a concentration-level model. There are three concentration-levels: Level 1: with preservative concentrations corresponding to waste of untreated - 'naturelike' - wood; level II: with concentrations higher than 'naturelike' wood and level Ill: with treated wood, under consideration of washout- and evaporation processes. For As, B, Cd, Cr, Cu, F, Hg, Pb, Sn, Zn, PAH (EPA), PCP, TCP and Lindane values were determined as known from naturelike waste wood. For calculating 90 percentile values a statistical method was used called "bootstrap" (n = 25). These values are interesting in context with the German waste law ("Kreislaufwirtschafts- und Abfallgesetz"), which prohibits the waste dilution and waste mixing. This demand causes specific problems in the production of chipboards when waste wood is used. The results indicate that the methods used for sampling and analysis can be applied for a safe and reproducible identification of wood preservatives in single wood pieces and shreddered wood chips.

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