Influence of dispersants on petroleum bioavailability in a marine food chain
- Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)
- Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response, Sacramento, CA (United States)
Oil spills represent a serious threat to marine organisms. Crude oil consists of numerous compounds with a wide range of physicochemical properties critical in determining those organisms at greatest risk. Surface inhabitants may benefit from the application of dispersing agents, yet little is understood of the disposition of the dispersed components of a spill. As the functional water solubility of petroleum hydrocarbons increases in the water column, the portion that is available for uptake may also increase, placing another group of organisms at risk. Potential increases in adsorption and bioaccumulation may extend the threat of oil spills from marine organisms to human consumers. Studies to date have focused on the acute toxicity of oil and dispersants. The objective of this research was to determine the influence of a dispersant on the bioavailability of crude oil components at concentrations below the no observable effect level (NOEL). Flow-through chambers were used to expose the algae, Isochrysis galbana, to ``undispersed`` Prudhoe Bay Crude Oil (PBCO) spiked with {sup 14}C naphthalene and ``dispersed`` spiked PBCO/Corexit 9527 sea water preparations. Bioavailability to Isochrysis was assessed as uptake, bioconcentration, and deputation of {sup 14}C naphthalene and its metabolites. Results of exposure studies will be presented.
- OSTI ID:
- 37386
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273-; TRN: 95:009432
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Denver, CO (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15th annual meeting: Abstract book. Ecological risk: Science, policy, law, and perception; PB: 286 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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