Arsenic, Good for the Skin

Wandering into North Beach was a night and day difference. Not only a drop in the number of people, but also a sharp increase in the quality of shops and housing. In the middle of the area is Washington Square which is one of my favorite San Francisco places.

This being our first visit to Washington Square we decided to just hang out in the park. We wandered over to the playground and crawled all over it with the baby. That was until the baby's mother notice a sign.

Warning: Treated With Arsenic

We're staring at this thinking, what the hell? Why would you treat a children's playground with a notoriously poisonous chemical? We vacated immediately. Later we learned that Arsenic was used in the 70's and 80's to treat outdoor building martial to prevent it from rotting and to stop insect infestation. It's no longer allowed.

You would think, that San Francisco of all places, would hunt these places out and replace them with non-toxic materials. Nope, they just put up a sign saying, don't eat.

Thanks.