Creosote has a long history of successful use as a wood preservative, but polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in this preservative have raised environmental concerns, particularly when creosote-treated wood is used in aquatic environments. A number of models have been developed to predict the risk of creosote use in aquatic environments, but one limitation of these models is a lack of data on the initial rates of creosote migration from treated wood. We examined the effect of flow rates on creosote migration from freshly treated wood immersed in fresh water. Creosote component levels declined to a steady state within 7 days, suggesting that creosote migration decreased sharply after an initial spike. The data will be used to enhance existing predictive models.

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