Effects of Waste Oil on the Survival and Reproduction of the American Flagfish, Jordanella floridae

Abstract

Short-term lethality tests, tests on the 30-d survival of 1-d-old larvae, and a life cycle test showed that used crankcase oil adversely affected the survival and reproduction of the American flagfish, Jordanella floridae. Four-day LC50's for juveniles in static and flow-through tests were 36 200 μL/L and 9500 μL/L, respectively, for the water-soluble fraction (wsf) of a 10% oil–water mixture and 485 μL/L and 82.7 μL/L, respectively, for oil–water emulsions. The general descriptive characteristics of the test oil and the hydrocarbon composition and concentration of 13 metals were determined for the oil and its water-soluble fraction. The life cycle test began with embryos and continued through 45 d of spawning. Egg production was impaired by exposure to 3380 μL wsf/L. Tissue residue analyses indicated the uptake of lead, cadmium, and zinc at higher exposure levels. The 30-d LC50 for larvae exposed as embryos was > 8100 μL wsf/L and for larvae unexposed as embryos was 755 μL wsf/L. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration for the water-soluble fraction of used crankcase oil was estimated to fall between 325 and 930 μL/L. Based on the compounds identified in the water-soluble fraction, previous toxicity data, and tissue residue analyses, we speculate that zinc, lead, and cadmium probably contribute significantly to the toxicity of the waste oil tested.Key words: waste oil, used crankcase oil, American flagfish, lethality, reproduction, embryo–larvae, zinc, lead, cadmium