TRAVERSE CITY, MI (AP)-- Scientists say there are serious flaws with tests of equipment designed to kill invasive species in ballast water, which cargo ships use for stability but which is believed to have brought invasive species to U.S. waters.
The Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency set limits on live organisms in the water. Ships must develop systems that kill enough of them to meet the limits.
A report published Wednesday by two scientists says the systems are supposed to kill certain types of disease-carrying bacteria. But it says water samples used for the tests don't contain enough of the bacteria from the start to know whether the systems are working. It says the testing should be changed.
The Coast Guard declined comment and EPA had no immediate reaction to the report.