Ships are inadvertently carrying trillions of stowaways in the water held in their ballast tanks. When the water is pumped out, invasive species could be released into new environments. Disease-causing microbes could also be released, posing a risk to public health, according to an article in the May issue of
Microbiology Today.
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©iStockphoto/Brian Raisbeck
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When water held in the ballast tanks of ships is pumped out, disease-causing microbes could be released into new environments, researchers warn.
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"There is no romantic adventure or skullduggery at work here," said Professor Fred Dobbs from Old Dominion University, Virginia. Ships pump water in and out of ballast tanks to adjust the waterline and compensate for cargo loading, making the ship run as efficiently as possible. These tanks can hold thousands of tonnes of water. "Any organisms in the water are likely to be released when it is next pumped out."
Comment: Alec has a lot of good information. Up until his last paragraph where his own religious centrism skews his view of the world.
"The environmentalists think they are beyond Christianity. Fools."
Christianity has nothing to do with the 'Truth". Truth stands on its own.