The study, the results of which have been published in the scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, was carried out over the course of a year at three different locations in the Baltic Sea and the Skagerrak. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, the Swedish Environmental Institute IVL and Chalmers are behind the study.
“This means that we now have a fantastic opportunity to drastically reduce the supply of the heavy metal to our sensitive inland sea. This is the first independent scientific study that shows that silicone paints are more effective than copper-based paints in the Baltic Sea area,” says Maria Lagerström, researcher in maritime environmental science at Chalmers, in a press release.
The study was concluded after one year, but the test panels are still at the test sites.
“These have now been below the surface for over two years and we can state that the silicone paint still works well and, above all, is better than the copper paint,” says Maria Lagerström.