Antifouling paints are biocidal products applied to ship and boat hulls in order to prevent the growth and settlement of marine organisms, i.e. fouling. The release of biocides from the surface of the paint film act to repel or poison potential settling organisms. Currently, the most commonly used biocide in antifouling paints is cuprous oxide. In the EU, antifouling products are regulated under the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), which states that the recommended dose should be the minimum necessary to achieve the desired effect. For antifouling products, the dose is measured as the release rate of biocide(s) from coating. In this study, the release rates of copper and zinc from eight different coatings for leisure boats were determined through static exposure of coated panels in four different harbors located in Swedish waters along a salinity gradient ranging from 0 to 27 PSU. The results showed the release rate of copper to increase with increasing salinity. Paints with a higher content of cuprous oxide were also found to release larger amounts of copper. The coatings’ ability to prevent biofouling was also evaluated and no significant difference in efficacy between the eight tested products was observed at the brackish and marine sites. Hence, the products with high release rates of copper were equally efficient as those with 4 – 6 times lower releases. These findings suggest that current antifouling paints on the market are leaching copper in excess of the effective dose in brackish and marine waters. Additionally, the results from the freshwater site showed no benefit in applying a copper-containing paint for the purpose of fouling prevention. This indicates that the use of biocidal paints in freshwater bodies potentially results in an unnecessary release of copper. By reducing the release rates of copper from antifouling paints in marine waters and restricting the use of biocidal paints in freshwater, the load of copper to the environment could be substantially reduced.

防污漆是应用于船舶和船体的杀生物产品，目的是防止海洋生物的生长和沉降，即结垢。杀生物剂从漆膜表面的释放起到排斥或毒害潜在沉降生物的作用。当前，防污涂料中最常用的杀生物剂是氧化亚铜。在欧盟，防污产品受《杀生物产品法规》（BPR）的管制，该法规规定，推荐剂量应为达到所需效果所需的最小剂量。对于防污产品，剂量以杀菌剂从涂料中的释放速率来衡量。在这个研究中，通过静置暴露于瑞典水域中四个不同港口中盐度梯度从0到27 PSU的四个不同港口中的涂层面板的静态暴露，确定了八种休闲船涂料中铜和锌的释放速率。结果表明，铜的释放速率随着盐度的增加而增加。还发现具有较高氧化亚铜含量的涂料会释放大量的铜。还评估了涂层防止生物结垢的能力，并且在微咸和海洋场所未观察到八种测试产品在功效上的显着差异。因此，铜释放速率高的产品与释放量低4-6倍的产品同样有效。这些发现表明，目前市场上的防污涂料在微咸水和海水中浸出的铜量超过有效剂量。另外，淡水现场的结果表明，为了防止结垢而使用含铜涂料没有益处。这表明在淡水体中使用杀菌涂料可能导致不必要的铜释放。通过降低海水中防污漆中铜的释放速率，并限制在淡水中使用杀​​菌漆，可以大大减少铜对环境的负荷。这表明在淡水体中使用杀菌涂料可能导致不必要的铜释放。通过降低海水中防污漆中铜的释放速率并限制淡水中的杀菌漆的使用，可以大大减少铜对环境的负荷。这表明在淡水体中使用杀菌涂料可能导致不必要的铜释放。通过降低海水中防污漆中铜的释放速率并限制淡水中的杀菌漆的使用，可以大大减少铜对环境的负荷。