Aspects of chemistry and toxicity of the North Cape oil spill
- Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, RI (United States). Atlantic Ecology Div.
On January 19, 1996, 820,000 gallons of Number 2 home heating oil were spilled from a barge into the waters off the south shore of Rhode Island. Number 2 oil is toxic to many marine organisms and especially affects the benthic community. Petroleum toxicity is caused primarily by a wide array of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as fluorenes, phenanthrenes, and naphthalenes. Furthermore, populations of benthic organisms exposed to PAHs at sublethal levels may experience dramatic mortalities following subsequently exposure to UV radiation. To evaluate possible impacts of this spill, sediment and water samples were collected from sites in the vicinity of the barge at 2, 6, 13, 33, and 62 days following the event. Sediment extracts were chemically analyzed using GC/MS for characterization and measurement of PAHs. Sediment toxicity tests were conducted using the 96-hour amphipod mortality test with Ampelisca abdita, and phototoxicity tests were performed using the bivalve embryo/larval development test with Mulinia lateralis. Initial chemical and toxicological analyses revealed that the most significantly affected area was inside the Harbor of Refuge, 3 miles east of the actual spill. High PAH concentrations and toxicity remained in at least one area of the Harbor of Refuge 62 days after the spill. Additionally, M. lateralis exposed to seawater from the spill indicated that phototoxicity was present shortly after the spill. Measurements will continue to be made in the Harbor of Refuge and surrounding sites to monitor further changes in PAH concentrations and toxicity.
- OSTI ID:
- 452075
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961149-; TRN: 97:006623
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 17. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: partnerships for the environment - science, education, and policy, Washington, DC (United States), 17-21 Nov 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of SETAC 17. annual meeting -- Abstract book. Partnerships for the environment: Science, education, and policy; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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