THE ACTION OF COPPER IN ANTIFOULING PAINTS

Abstract

Experiments on the number of barnacle cyprids found on plane surfaces and on the surface of small pits coated with compositions containing different amounts of cuprous oxide show that the presence of copper does not deter the cyprids from attempting to settle. Copper‐oxide paints do not inhibit settlement appreciably; their efficiency as antifouling agents is caused by the toxic action of copper on cyprids and young spat after initial attachment. The cementing of the shell to the substratum in young barnacles which have survived metamorphosis appears to be hindered by the presence of copper paints so that they are easily dislodged.