Abstract
Oil spills occur commonly, and chemical compounds originating from oil spills are widespread in the aquatic environment. In order to monitor effects of a bunker oil spill on the aquatic environment, biomarker responses were measured in eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) sampled along a gradient in Göteborg harbor where the oil spill occurred and at a reference site, 2 weeks after the oil spill. Eelpout were also exposed to the bunker oil in a laboratory study to validate field data. The results show that eelpout from the Göteborg harbor are influenced by contaminants, especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also during “normal” conditions. The bunker oil spill strongly enhanced the biomarker responses. Results show elevated ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activities in all exposed sites, but, closest to the oil spill, the EROD activity was partly inhibited, possibly by PAHs. Elevated DNA adduct levels were also observed after the bunker oil spill. Chemical analyses of bile revealed high concentrations of PAH metabolites in the eelpout exposed to the oil, and the same PAH metabolite profile was evident both in eelpout sampled in the harbor and in the eelpout exposed to the bunker oil in the laboratory study.
Highlights
Oil spills occur commonly, and chemical compounds originating from oil spills, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are widespread in the aquatic environment (Beyer et al 2010; de Hoop et al 2011)
PAHs are one of the most important groups of organic contaminants found in the aquatic environment, and one source of this input into waters is from oils spills which occur commonly
The PAHs originating from petrogenic sources are often dominated by two- and three-ringed aromatics, while PAH from pyrogenic sources are dominated by four- and fiveringed aromatics (Anderson and Lee 2006)
Summary
Chemical compounds originating from oil spills, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are widespread in the aquatic environment (Beyer et al 2010; de Hoop et al 2011). Aquatic organisms protect themselves against the harmful effects of exposure to these and other xenobiotics via molecular and cellular defense systems, such as detoxifying enzymes and molecules, metalbinding proteins, and trapping of foreign toxic compounds by lysosomes. These responses, as well as any cellular or molecular damage that may occur as a result of exposure, are often used in monitoring and assessment programs addressing the environmental impact of pollutants (van der Oost et al 2003). Many PAHs, or their metabolites, are known to be toxic and/or carcinogenic (Aas et al 2001), and PAHs are considered the most toxic of all petroleum compounds (Yanik et al 2003). PAHs are hydrophobic and semivolatile, factors that contribute to their accumulation in sediments and biological tissues and to their persistency in the environment (Yanik et al 2003), and the major degradation pathways, which are microbial, are highly dependent upon environmental conditions (Haritash and Kaushik 2009)
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