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Title: Detection of drilling mud-base oil in the bile of trout, Salmo gairdneri

Journal Article · · Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01689065· OSTI ID:6919134

Crude and refined petroleum oils contain saturated as well as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and the latter exist in minor amounts. However, drilling mud-base oils have predominantly and in the present case, almost exclusively saturated components. Studies on the fate and effects of petroleum oil in fish have concentrated on the aromatics. A recent investigation of the mutagenicity vs toxicity of the various water soluble fractions of Kuwait crude oil suggests that much of the toxicity of that fractionated oil is due to alkanes, alkenes, aliphatics and one-ring cyclic compounds. Aliphatic molecules such as dodecane and docosane have been shown to bioaccumulate in fish with a bioaccumulation factor of 50 and 10, which is close to that found for aromatic molecules. In view of all these observations and since /sup 13/C NMR analysis of the metabolites found in the gall bladder bile of cunners exposed to No. 2 fuel oil indicated the presence of an aliphatic moiety in the bile mixture, it was deemed of interest to determine if the gall bladder bile would act as a bioconcentrator of an oil quasi-free of aromatics.

Research Organization:
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada)
OSTI ID:
6919134
Journal Information:
Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 41:1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English