phase out

[Sepmre]

Hi,
Could anyone please help me with the sentence below. What does it mean?

Existing CCA-treated lumber, however, poses a challenge because arsenic is acutely toxic and carcinogenic and has been
shown to leach into surrounding soils; this has prompted it being largely phased out in a cooperative effort between manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency (effective December 31, 2003).

Thanks

 

[+Technist Warp-]

I think you want to know what the underlined means, right?

It means that the manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency work together to carry out something, which is in this case, the CCA-treated lumber.

***Not a teacher***

 

[Mrfatso]

I think you want to know what the underlined means, right?

It means that the manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency work together to carry out something, which is in this case, the CCA-treated lumber.

***Not a teacher***

Not a Teacher.
The term phase out means that they worked together to no ensure that CCA-treated lumber was no longer used, your sentence as written could mean that they worked together to use CCA-treated lumber.

 

[+Technist Warp-]

The OP said 'cooperative effort'. 'Cooperative' is enough to know that they worked together. The term phase out doesn't necessarily mean work together but it depends on the context.

 

[SoothingDave]

"Cooperative effort" with a powerful government agency is a bit of a euphemism as well. I would bet the only "cooperation" was that the EPA allowed the manufacturers to use existing inventory instead of destroying it.

 

[Mrfatso]

The OP said 'cooperative effort'. 'Cooperative' is enough to know that they worked together. The term phase out doesn't necessarily mean work together but it depends on the context.

Not A Teacher

As the title of the thread is Re: Phase out, it implies that the to me part of the phrase that the OP is querying is the meaning of that term, in order to understand what it means.
To fully understand the underlined part the fact that phase out means to cease the use of, in this context is important.

 

[+Technist Warp-]

let me rephrase the OP question:
"this has prompted it being largely ceased doing in a cooperative effort between manufacturers and the Environmental Protection Agency (effective December 31, 2003)."

We now agree that phase out means 'ceased doing'. The OP, from my POV, is the Opening Post. I don't know if it is the real acronym though.

 

[emsr2d2]

OP = Original Poster (the person who wrote post #1, posing the question).

 

[Sepmre]

Could anyone please simplify the underlined sentence for me? I'm so confused also with "this has prompted it being largely"


Thanks

 

[+Technist Warp-]

Paraphrased Version 1: "this has led to it being largely..."
Paraphrased Version 2: "this has encouraged it being largely..."
Paraphrased Version 3: "this has caused it being largely..."

 

[Hungrydog]

Not a teacher..

Phased out means. We're doing it now but we won't be doing it in the future. But we can't stop straight away. We need to phase it out.

eg. Last season Leeds united played terrible football, we'd just boot the ball. We're phasing that out now and soon we hope to play like Barcelona.

 

[Tarheel]

To "phase out" something is to stop doing it gradually. (That is close to, but not exactly what it says here: https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/phrasal-verbs/phase+out.html)

(Hungrydog, your example was not, I think, a very good one, but I give you credit for trying.)

 

[Rover_KE]

Hungry dog, please amend your profile, which says you are an English teacher.