A laboratory leaching trial combining a static and a flowing seawater system was carried out to measure the leaching rates of copper, chromium and arsenic from the surface of Scots pine panels vacuum-pressure treated to 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 kgm-3 CCA. Untreated and treated panels were exposed in flowing seawater for up to 8 weeks followed by 2 weeks submersion in static seawater which was taken for analysis. The study revealed a leaching hierarchy of Cu>Cr>As which supports the findings of other investigators. Over the 8 week leaching trial there was a time-related decrease in the rate of copper and chromium loss. Over the first week of leaching in flowing seawater, the rates of loss of copper and chromium decreased to between one-half and one-seventh, followed by lower rates of leaching over the remaining period of the investigation. In contrast, the rate of loss of arsenic from the wood appeared to increase slightly over the same period. The data are compared with minimal leaching rates of toxins from the surface of anti-fouling paints and are discussed in terms of the fouling communities which are established on Scots pine panels treated to similar target retentions.

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