The petroleum industry in the Delaware estuary. report of work completed, 1974-1976

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:6620976

Patrick, R; Whipple, W Jr

This report presents a comprehensive evaluation of all of the sources of petroleum in the Delaware Estuary, including the finding that urban runoff and other unrecorded sources constitute a major part of the total load. Investigations of toxicity of petroleum and its products and derivatives to fish, shellfish, and other organisms has revealed that toxicity to most, but not all, immature organisms is greater than that to adults, that petroleum on sediments is much more toxic to oysters than when it is dissolved in the water column, and that chronic and life cycle studies show very much greater toxicity than the acute bioassay tests which are usually relied upon. The study shows that ultraviolet irradiation of No. 2 fuel oil and Iranian crude greatly increases their toxicity.

• Research Organization: National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (USA). Office of Applied Science Research Applications; Rutgers--the State Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (USA). Water Resources Research Inst.
• OSTI ID: 6620976
• Report Number(s): PB-277962
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CENTRAL REGION
DELAWARE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ESTUARIES
FISHES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INVERTEBRATES
MOLLUSCS
MORTALITY
NORTH AMERICA
OYSTERS
PETROLEUM
POLLUTION
RADIATIONS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
TOXICITY
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
USA
VERTEBRATES
WATER POLLUTION