Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Tread Gently

Investigators have shown that visitors making their way into the Antarctic are bringing foreign strains of bacteria with them on their boots. As reported in this article, introduction of new types of bacteria and other disease-causing organisms could be potentially devastating to the Antarctic ecosystem. Since seawater has turned out to be ineffective at removing the bacteria, researchers are recommending that the environmentally friendly disinfectant Virkon be used to wash boots before entering the region.

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