Tsunami and Environmental Pollution Hazards: A Note for the Restoration Process - Post-Tsunami Hazard: Reconstruction and Restoration - page 263

BAAC is reported to be widely used in Japan, too (Japan Wood Protection
Association 2011 ); borate compounds are considered to be less harmful to the
environment and mammals than CCA, but still require a good fi xative to prevent
leaching, which limits their use when exposed to wet environments (Canadian
Wood Council 2013 ; Freeman et al. 2006 ).
Boric acid and borate salts in ammonium borate and copper compounds are
soluble in water. Most boron will exist in aqueous solution such as boric acid or
borate ion (ATSDR 2007 ). Boron cannot be destroyed in the environment. It can only
change its form or become attached or separated from particles in soil, sediment,
and water (ATSDR 2010 ). Didecyl polyoxyethyl ammonium borate (DPAB) or
Polymeric Betaine, was developed as biocide for chromium-free copper-based
wood preservatives in the 1980s in Europe, showing to have a valuable synergistic
effect against copper-resistant fungi, as well as good fi xation properties. Hence, it
has continued to be used for over 20 years (Härtner et al. 2008 , 2009 ).
Boric acid and borate salts may reach groundwater because of their relatively
high water- solubility and their variable soil sorption (WHO 1998 ). Also pertinent
to the leaching of boron and copper from ammonical formulations was a study
evaluating leaching from 38 mm by 89-mm plywood planks treated with ammonical
copper borate and exposed for 11 years at a test site in Mississippi, USA (Johnson
and Foster 1991 ).
Copper is associated with fewer mammalian health concerns than arsenic.
Environmental release of ecobiocides such as boron or quaternary ammonium
compounds is also to be expected, but these co-biocides also have relatively low
mammalian toxicity (Lebow 2004 ).

17.2.5 BAC (Benzalkonium Chloride) and SAAC

(Quat Non-ester Pyrethroid)

BAC is also largely used in Japan (Miyauchi et al. 2008 ); BAC is an active com-
ponent of ACQ. Under certain circumstances such as the presence of humates and
the type of tree, this compound could leach in the soil (Miyauchi and Mori 2013 ;
Miyauchi et al. 2008 ). Still, this compound is used in a large number of industries
due to its low toxicity, high biodegradability and the fact that it does not seem to
accumulate in the environment under normal conditions. Another advantage is that
its active compounds can be deactivated by clay, neutralizing their toxicity in the
water environment (Quat Chem 2013 ).
Some types of non-esther pyrethroids bearing low toxicity to fi sh and the aquatic
environment were developed in 1992 (Meier et al. 1992 ), and Quat non-ester
pyrethroids have been used in Japan to treat wood since approximately 2004 (Japan
Wood Protection Association 2011 ). Depending on their particular chemistry,
pyrethroid compounds have shown to be more or less toxic to the environment and
mankind, therefore those with higher toxicity potentially require more careful
management and manipulation (MSDS 2010 ; US-FFS 2013 ). Silafl uofen, a pyretroid