CHAPTER I 

 INTRDIXJCTTCN 



1.1 INTRODUCTICW 



This Introduction has been prepared to aid those from non-technical back- 

 grounds to gain a quick introduction and grasp of the technical and 

 environmental issues and the policy and regulation associated with the use 

 of organotin compounds as additives (biocides) in antifoulant paints. 



Since the first days of sail, mariners have been battling fouling — the 

 growth of barnacles, seaweeds, tubeworms, and other organisms on boat 

 bottoms. The Phoenicians, realizing that smoother bottoms translated into 

 easier rowing and faster sailing, nailed copper strips to the hulls of 

 their ships to inhibit fouling. 



In naval actions, the cleaner, faster vessels often escaped stronger 

 forces or caught up to weaker ones. Thus fouling was an important factor 

 to navies in the days of sail. Although copper strips went by the boards 

 long ago, fouling prevention remains important today, as aircraft carriers 

 launch aircraft while underway at 40 knots, supertankers crisscross the 

 oceans, and fishing boats fish in coastal and oceanic waters. 



In 1985, however, when the Navy proposed painting its ships with efficient 

 antifouling paints that are widely used by commercial and pleasure craft, 

 it focused scientific and political attention on the effects of these 

 paints in the marine environment. Edward D. Goldberg, Professor of 

 Chemistry at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has stated on several 

 occasions that TBT, the active ingredient of these paints, is the most 

 toxic compound man has intentionally introduced into the marine 

 environment. 



Since the widespread use of TBr-based paints began in the early 1970 's, 

 evidence shows that TBT paints harm many forms of marine life other than 

 fouling organisms, including economically important species such as 

 oysters. The effects on untargeted species have attracted increasing 

 international concern. A number of countries have adopted policies 

 regulating or restricting TBT use. Several states in this country also 

 have taken action, and federal regulation of TBT by Congress has been 

 signed into law (P.L. 100-333) , as we discuss later. Meanwhile, one of 

 the largest U.S. shipyards, Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, 

 Virginia, has decided to turn down work that requires the use of TBT 

 paints because of potential risks to employees' health. 



1-1 



