Pine Tar and European Law: A sticky situation in Europe appears to be resolved

摘要

Just a few months ago (September 1, 2006), the European Union's latest update of its "Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC" came into legal force. Of concern, and perhaps alarm, for traditional boat builders and owners at that time was the fact that throughout most of the E.U. the use of pine tar—for centuries used as a coating for wood—was deemed illegal. This reinforced legislation first passed in 2003 that regulated pine tar as a suspected carcinogen.