Created: 3/30/2009 6:51:18 AM 
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (AP) -- U.S. researchers say commercial vessels on the ocean are causing enough air pollution to cause "a significant health concern" for coastal communities. The study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was released last month. Lead researcher Daniel Lack tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel that diesel engines aboard freighters, tankers and cruise ships are producing as much pollution as 300 million cars. Lack and other NOAA researchers found that tiny specks of soot and sulfuric acid from the ships' smokestacks hang in the air for as long as 10 days and travel 20 to 30 miles inland. Last year, the International Maritime Organization set new mandatory standards to reduce emissions from ocean vessels. ------
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