Dear all,
my partner has come across a research paper which talks about the
effects of certain wood preservatives on animals and people. It
contains the following:

"Mice exposed to 22 to 76 mg/m3 of o-cresol for 2 h/day, six days
a week for a period of one month exhibited signs of lethargy and
irritability. Central nervous system damage, lung hemorrhages, inflamed
airways, and degeneration of myocardial [heart muscle] fibers were
observed upon autopsy."

These are *exactly* the symptoms we have observed in our ferrets, plus
several builder friends have pointed the finger at the pressure-treated
wood the shed is constructed of. Such chemicals are not supposed to be
used in domestic sheds in UK, but who knows? It does happen that
illegal or non-standard chemicals are used.

For the scientific minded, the full article is here (and no paywall --
miracle):

http://www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/organic/org032/org032.html

Anna Hayward

[Posted in FML 7800]