Most borate preservatives have mobility in wood, although the extent can vary according to composition and substrate. This mobility provides inherent advantages over non-mobile preservatives, but also warrants care in their use.

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Boron compounds in current use as wood preservatives are susceptible to loss via leaching, under certain conditions. This is because they are not chemically fixed after treatment and remain mobile within the treated wood. Available data on this phenomenon, gathered over forty years, has been reviewed in this paper. It would appear that the significance of this problem has been over-stated for many years. For the entire abstract of this article, click here