Anti-Fouling & Reef Ecology
DBaker
dbaker at tm.net.my
Sat Feb 14 16:32:58 EST 1998
Hi Coral-L,
Can someone summarize the chemical reaction that makes anti-fouling
paints effective in detering marine life from attaching to boat hulls -
from a small row boat to a super tanker? What types of anti-fouling
paints are commonly used? Are there any systems that utilize an
electrical discharge field rather than paints?
I am also curious as to how this may affect the marine ecology -
especially coral reefs. Can marinas & coral reefs "live" together or
will the anti-fouling [and ,of course, other waste loads associated] be
a toxic problem? I have heard of marinas virtually destroying nearby
ecosystems in Europe based on anti-fouling residues. Is this true?
If a small boat's anti fouling paint has a toxic effect to its
surroundings...then can we imagine the effect that a large cargo ship
has? ...Or, an entire harbor full of large ships?
Anyone have opinions & data on this syndrome?
Don Baker
THE REEF PROJECT
Borneo
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