The Effect of Different Oil Spill Remediation Techniques on Petroleum Hydrocarbon Elimination in Australian Bass ( Macquaria novemaculeata )

Abstract

Petroleum hydrocarbons were investigated in juvenile Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata, following exposure to the water accommodated fraction (WAF) of Bass Strait crude oil, chemically dispersed crude oil, and burnt crude oil. Each treatment was administered for 16 days either through the water column or through the diet (amphipod, Allorchestes compressa). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) elimination was determined by measuring biliary benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and naphthalene-type metabolites. Biliary PAH-type metabolite concentrations varied with the type of oil spill remediation technique, route of exposure (food versus water), and exposure concentration. Fish exposed to chemically dispersed crude oil via the water exhibited the highest PAH-type biliary metabolite concentrations, relative to fish exposed to other treatments. In fish exposed via the diet, the highest concentration of both types of biliary metabolites also appeared in the dispersed oil-exposed individuals. The results suggest that chemically dispersing oil may have the greatest effect on bioavailability of hydrocarbons, both through waterborne and food chain exposures.

Comparative toxicity assessment of in situ burn residues to initial and dispersed heavy fuel oil using zebrafish embryos as test organisms

“…This indicates that a higher CEWAF toxicity is rather related to the dispersion effect changing the hydrocarbon partitioning between the water/oil phase than to a toxicity of the dispersant itself, which is in accordance with the current understanding of dispersant effects (Carls et al 2008;Redman and Parkerton 2015). Increased relative PAH concentrations in the aqueous solution of WAFs after the application of a dispersant have been observed in several studies (Cohen 2001;Couillard et al 2005;Hook and Osborn 2012). The increase of dissolved oil compounds in the CEWAF indicates that the initial LEWAF system of the present study was not in a stable state of equilibrium after 40 h of mixing, in which droplet formation should not change the compound partitioning between oil and water phase approximately calculated based on Raoult's law (Lee et al 1992).…”

“…Comparable with the present study, metabolic enzyme activities in juvenile fish exposed to initial, burned, and dispersed crude oil have been examined before (Cohen 2001;Cohen et al 2005Cohen et al , 2006. Deviating from the present results on chemically dispersed heavy fuel oil IFO 180, chemical treatment of the crude oil treatment in the aforementioned studies induced stronger EROD activities than initial or burned samples (Cohen et al 2005(Cohen et al , 2006.…”

“…However, in general, a low acute toxicity of burn residue WAFs to marine invertebrate species has been observed (Faksness et al 2012). Besides invertebrate species, also different fish species have been exposed to WAFs from ISB experiments (Bender et al 2018;Cohen 2001;Cohen et al 2005). The studies mainly have found a low toxic potential (Cohen et al 2005).…”