I have read that you can't use treated pine for raised veggie beds. But that makes it very difficult or expensive to build one as that only leaves hard wood, that would last.
Hey Graeme, treated pine is pressure treated under high temperatures to force the protective chemicals into the wood.
Essentially for them to be sold to the general public the product has to be safe to handle - and yes it is. I would also recommend it for raised veggie beds, though I don't recommend cutting it unless you seal the exposed ends.
The chemicals remain locked in the timber and do not readily leach out into your veggie bed soil, so you can safely go ahead and build your new raised beds with this product.
However if you burn treated pine then those chemicals can be released into the atmosphere and if you breathe it in you could be affected.
Treated pine comes in different formats - 'Rounds' 'Half-rounds' and rectangular slabs. The latter is best for raised beds as it is stronger and is less likely to bow or shift under the pressure from the soil. However it is good to connect the slabs with long galvanised screws as the weight of each slab may not be enough to hold it in place.