: I thought of the same thing. They used to soak those poles in Cresote (sp?).
: In my non-expert opinion, cresote-soaked wood dust could pose a
: significant health risk. On the other hand, I recall a builder on the Bear
: Mountain site using old telephone poles - assured me they work fine. I
: wasn't able to find that article. May be worth further research David.

Many old poles were treated with pentachloraphenol- a very dangerous chemical that has been banned for some time. The wood dust is toxic and using the poles for firewood is not allowed.