"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Feb 17, 9:52?am, "Eisboch" wrote:


Mariners long ago discovered that one of the natural properties of copper
was it's ability to kill off bacteria preventing it from growing on it's
surface. Copper plating was used, later replaced by anti-fouling paint
with
very high copper content (until it was banned).


Tri-butyl tin was banned. Not copper, unless perhaps you're speaking
to just a local situation. With the disappearance of the more
effective, (but more toxic and more environmentally destructive) TBT
paints, copper is still the active ingredient in most anti-fouling
paint sold today.

There are a number of formulas that may eventually take replace copper
based paint, but most are either in the experimental stage or still
considered inadequate when compared to copper.

Your right ... it was the tri-butyl tin. I don't know why I was thinking
copper, although there are some efforts, California in particular, to ban
copper also as an anti-fouling paint additive.

Eisboch