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Long-term durability data are needed to improve service life estimates for treated wood products used as critical structural supports in industrial applications. This article reports the durability of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) posts pressure treated with ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA), chromated copper arsenate (CCA), creosote, or pentachlorophenol and exposed for 50 years in southern Mississippi. During inspections, posts were subjected to a pass/fail evaluation by applying a load to the top of the post. No failures occurred in any of the 125 posts treated with CCA or in any of the 75 posts treated with pentachlorophenol. Three of 25 ACA-treated posts and 5 of 25 creosote-treated posts failed. Estimated times to 50 percent failure in the ACA- and creosote-treated posts were calculated as 96 and 78 years, respectively. The estimated years to failure for the CCA- and pentachlorophenol-treated posts could not be calculated because of the lack of failures but presumably would be greater than that calculated for the ACA- and creosote-treated posts. The durability of the posts is notable because the exposure site presents a severe biodeterioration hazard. The results of this study indicate that in-service posts, poles, and piles treated to standardized retentions with these industrial preservatives will be highly durable.
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