Borates are toxic to fungus species. Borates also affect the enzyme system of fungi and the active ingredient is a contact toxicant to fungus.

Borates demonstrate efficacy against bacteria, mold, fungi, and insects. Borates are low in mammalian toxicity, low in environmental impact, easy to handle, and easy to apply.

The organic components remain close to the surface to provide protection against mold, while the borates, when exposed to moisture, will penetrate through the entire thickness of the panel, providing interior protection against both mold and decay, and at higher loadings, termites too.

Metabolizing Effects – In certain organisms, borates can inhibit metabolic processes. This makes them useful in controlling insects, bacteria and fungi in everything from construction timbers to cosmetics.

Borates are durable. They do not break down into ineffective byproducts. They do not evaporate. Although they are water soluble, they do not move far in the environment, especially in soil. If placed in solution, the borates recrystallize and keep working when the water evaporates. When properly applied for insect control in homes or other structures, their insecticidal efficacy lasts for years and years. The same property of durability applies to diffusible borates used for wood preservatives.

The borates are essentially nonvolatile. This means that they do not evaporate ;from the site where applied. This characteristic prevents environmental degradation from chemical trespass from borate vapors. Additionally, indoor air quality is not adversely affected by borate-preserved wood. This is also true for borates (boric acid or disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT)) used for management of cockroaches, fleas, ants, silverfish, bed bugs, or other household insect pests. Most of the other products available to the householder or professional cannot truthfully make this claim.

The EPA has also determined that boric acid and its sodium salts do not show any evidence of carcinogenicity for humans and no evidence of mutagenicity. However, boric acid and the borate salts are lethal human poisons by ingestion at levels of 5 to 20 g. Exposure through the skin, eyes, or inhalation is minimal, so minimal protective measures are necessary. Expensive specialized protective gear is not needed.

The environmental advantages of using diffusable borates for wood protection are many.

They can be summarized as follows:

* Very effective in protecting wood against termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles, and staining and wood rot fungi;

* Invisible when properly applied, most useful for protecting historic wood artifacts;

* Not volatile, so do not evaporate or pollute indoor air space;

* Odorless;

* Durable, providing wood protection from insect and fungus attack for years, eliminating repeated treatments;

* Reduce susceptibility to fire; and

* Have low risk to humans and other non-target organisms.