The main effort in the field of biodeterioration has been to develop, either empirically or by design, methods for preventing the biodeterioration of materials and thus preserve their value and usefulness for as long as possible. The preceding chapters have contained information on control methods specific to a particular material, product, or structure. It is useful, however, to discuss control strategies in a wider context so that they can be applied to full effect in a given situation. The phrase that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure is extremely pertinent to biodeterioration. As outlined in the Introduction, preventative techniques are the main option for consideration, whereas remedial treatment is at best only a temporary solution: it does not usually completely cure the problem. However, in the construction industry, a whole subindustry has built up around remedial treatment, and this often includes the use of preservatives.

Prevention should ideally commence when the raw material has assumed a potentially susceptible state. This may be directly after the harvesting of a foodstuff or when a synthetic product is placed in an environment conducive to biological activity. The first use of preventative methods was to enable the storage of foodstuffs after harvest or hunting, and these involved physical/mechanical techniques such as heat, cold, drying, osmotic pressure, and the use of mechanical barriers. Chemical methods were first introduced as fumigants (sulfur) and then as salts of mercury, copper, and zinc in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for preservingtimberandother natural productsin storage. Itwasnotuntil the SecondWorldWar that the widespread use of chemical preservatives – or biocides – was seriously contemplated to prevent microbial growth on military equipment used in the tropics.