In the early 1950s The Western European Institute for Wood Preservation (WEI) started a program for testing creosote and salt treated posts in three exposure sites in Europe. Of these only the site in Simlångsdalen in south western Sweden remains today. The purpose with this investigation was to demonstrate which creosote components are still retained in the posts after 40 years of exposure and which components have migrated or evaporated. Three posts, impregnated with three different creosotes, from the site in Simlångsdalen have been studied. The retention, composition and distribution of creosote in the posts have been determined and compared with data on the original creosote. After 40 years of exposure creosote loss is greatest in the post impregnated with creosote containing the highest fraction of low-boiling constituents. The loss is greatest in the top sections of all three posts. The concentrations of low-boiling compounds (b.p. < 270°C), e.g. naphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene are very low. The residual creosotcs have the greatest percentage of high-boiling constituents (> 315°C), especially phenanthrene and anthracene (b.p. 340°C). The soil close to those posts which were "over-loaded" with creosote during the treatment process, contains increased concentrations primarily of the heavier components fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene. The small number of posts analyzed limits the possibility to generalize the conclusions.

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