Mqssive louisiqno proiects give nod to borqtes

IDELY used in Hawaii since the late 1980s, borates are aggressively making in-roads into the Southeast, where termite-fearing homeowners and builders are looking for new pressure treated alternatives.

The biggest stamp of approval for borates so far may be two huge construction projects now underway in metro New Oileans, La.-the largest developments ever in North America to use borate treated wood products.

Construction of 525 housing units at the Belle Chase Naval Air Station will use approximately 2 million sq. ft. of borate-treated OSB and 5 million bd. ft. of treated lumber (more than gOVo borates, the remainder CCA for the sill plate). The project's price tag: $73 million.

A similar volume of borate-treated lumber and plywood will also be used for framing, including decking and interior cladding, in more than 600 housing units as part of the $400 million St. Thomas Hope VI, the transformation of an aging 50-acre HUD project into a mixed-use neighborhood' - goth projects use SmartGuard/Advance Guard products that protect against termites, decay and other wood-destroying organisms. This solution is produced by a strategic atliance of leading borate supplier U.S' Borax, wood preservation giant Osmose, and top OSB producer LP.

According to Tarun Bhatia, business development manager for U.S. Borax, "When we introduced the SmartGuard/Advance Guard solution to the market, Formosan termites had already infested 90 counties and parishes in the southeastern United States. At that time, Luilders and homeowners both wanted a better alternative to fight the termite problem. Borate-treated building systems offer people safe, built-in protection using affordable and sustainable building materials."

SmartGuard/Advance Guard products include studs, plywood, joists, rafters and OSB. The lumber and plywood products ure pressure treated for deep penetration of natuially occuning minerals called borates; the OSB is treated by adding borates directly into the manufacturing process to ensure thorough distribution.

Although safe for people and pets, borates are deadly to carpenter ants, roaches and termites, including the voracious Formosan termite. Borates interfere with termites' metabolic processes, effectively killing them. Any surviving termites avoid the protected products.

In the continental U.S., termites cause up to $3 billion in damage each year.

"tn trigtr termite hazard areas of Louisiana and the South, the traditional method of protecting homes is not sufficient," says Clif Jones, business manager for borate wood preservatives at Osmose. "Many builders in Louisiana rely solely on traditional soil treatments to protect homes against termites-these typically last from five to seven years. First, Formosan termites can build nests above ground, so they can bypass even functioning soil barriers. Second, soil barriers and baiting systems fail to protect the house from decay, fungi, drywood termites and other wood destroying organisms."

U.S, Borax believes the product could be sold to a target market of 600,000 homes in the South each year.

Although deadly to termites, borates are essential to plant life, ind an important part of a healthy human diet' borate treated building products are safe for construction crews-requiring no special handling or disposal-and for residents once the home is finished.