Oil Toxicity Tests Research Articles

Toxic effects of mazut on early developmental stages of blenny <em>Parablennius sanguinolentus</em>

Coastal marine waters are known as spawning sites of fish and invertebrate, which are highly sensitive to crude oil and its derivates in their early developmental stages. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of mazut at concentrations of 0.00001, 0.02, 0.1, and 0.2 ml/l on antioxidant enzyme activities in developmental embryos (stage V) of the Black Sea blenny Parablennius sanguinolentus. The biomarkers of oxidative stress — namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (PER) and glutathione reductase (GR) — were investigated. This revealed a non-uniform impact of mazut concentration on fish embryos. The correlations between enzyme activities and mazut concentrations were non-linear, and tested antioxidants fluctuated independently from one another. The obtained results can be applied to the development of oil toxicity tests for assessment of water quality and in conservation biology.

The sensitivity of the deepsea species northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and the cold-water coral (Lophelia pertusa) to oil-associated aromatic compounds, dispersant, and Alaskan North Slope crude oil

This study investigated the sensitivity of two deepsea species using mortality of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and polyp activity of stony coral (Lophelia pertusa) to dispersant, Corexit 9500 and aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, 2-methylnaphthalene, phenanthrene) in 96-h tests. Resulting hydrocarbon toxicity data were fit to the Target Lipid Model to generate predictive models and determine species sensitivity. Toxicity of chemically enhanced water accommodated fractions of Alaskan North Slope crude oil (ANS-oil) was also investigated with shrimp using nominal loading, total petroleum hydrocarbons and biomimetic extraction (BE) as oil exposure metrics. Coral were more sensitive to dispersant than shrimp while similar sensitivity was observed for hydrocarbons. Study and literature findings indicate deepsea species exhibit acute sensitivities to dispersant, hydrocarbons and oil that are comparable to pelagic species. Results support use of passive sampling methods to quantify dissolved oil for interpreting oil toxicity tests and suggest models for predicting time-dependence of toxicity warrant re-evaluation.

Use of fish embryo biomarkers for the evaluation of mazut toxicity in marine environment

The risk of oil contamination, either through produced water discharges, accidents, or non-point-sources, has increased, and it is attributed with the negative impact on the Black Sea ecosystem, and especially in coastal waters. Coastal marine waters are known as the areas of fish and invertebrates spawning sites, including commercial species, which early developmental stages are highly sensitive to crude oil and its derivates. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of mazut at concentrations of 0.00001, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 ml l−1 on the biomarker response in the developmental embryos (stages IV and V) of tubenose goby Proterorhinus marmoratus. We used the biomarkers of antioxidant enzyme activities, namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (PER) and glutathione reductase (GR). The non-uniform response on mazut impact at tested concentrations on fish embryos was shown. The best biomarker was peroxidase activity, which was highly sensitive to oil pollution and reflected the response of the organism on stressful environment. The imbalance between tested antioxidant enzyme activities was clearer at low and high levels of mazut, and it was less in the case of medium values. The obtained results can be applied for the development of oil toxicity tests for monitoring management and for perspectives of conservation ecology.

Oil toxicity test methods must be improved.

A review of the literature on oil toxicity tests showed a high diversity of reported test methods that may affect the composition, stability, and toxicity of oil solutions. Concentrations of oil in test solutions are dynamic because hydrocarbons evaporate, partition to test containers, bioaccumulate, biodegrade, and photo‐oxidize. As a result, the composition and toxicity of test solutions may vary widely and create significant obstacles to comparing toxicity among studies and to applying existing data to new risk assessments. Some differences in toxicity can be resolved if benchmarks are based on measured concentrations of hydrocarbons in test solutions, highlighting the key role of chemical analyses. However, analyses have often been too infrequent to characterize rapid and profound changes in oil concentrations and composition during tests. The lack of practical methods to discriminate particulate from dissolved oil may also contribute to underestimating toxicity. Overall, current test protocols create uncertainty in toxicity benchmarks, with a high risk of errors in measured toxicity. Standard oil toxicity tests conducted in parallel with tests under site‐specific conditions would provide an understanding of how test methods and conditions affect measured oil toxicity. Development of standard test methods could be achieved by collaborations among university, industry, and government scientists to define methods acceptable to all 3 sectors. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:302–311. © 2018 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

The sensitivity of a deep-sea fish species (Anoplopoma fimbria) to oil-associated aromatic compounds, dispersant, and Alaskan North Slope crude oil.

A predominant concern following oil spills is toxicity to aquatic organisms. However, few data are available on effects in deep-sea cold water fishes. The present study had 3 major objectives. The first was to investigate the relative sensitivity of the deep-sea species Anoplopoma fimbria (sablefish) to acute effects of 3 aromatic compounds (toluene, 2-methylnaphthalene, and phenanthrene), dispersant alone, and chemically enhanced water accommodated fractions (CEWAFs) of Alaskan North Slope crude oil. The second was to determine the critical target lipid body burden (CTLBB) for sablefish by fitting aromatic hydrocarbon toxicity data to the target lipid model (TLM), which then allowed expression of CEWAF exposures in terms of dissolved oil toxic units. The final aim was to apply a passive sampling method that targets bioavailable, dissolved hydrocarbons as an alternative analytical technique for improved CEWAF exposure assessment. The results indicate that sablefish exhibit sensitivity to Corexit 9500 (96-h median lethal concentration [LC50] = 72.2 mg/L) within the range reported for other fish species. However, the acute CTLBB of 39.4 ± 2.1 μmol/goctanol lies at the lower end of the sensitivity range established for aquatic species. The utility of both toxic units and passive sampling measurements for describing observed toxicity of dispersed oil is discussed. The present study is novel in that a new test species is investigated to address the uncertainty regarding the sensitivity of deep-sea fishes, while also employing modeling and measurements to improve exposure characterization in oil toxicity tests. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2210-2221. © 2018 SETAC.

Guidance for improving comparability and relevance of oil toxicity tests

The complex nature and limited aqueous solubility of petroleum substances pose challenges for consistently characterizing exposures in aquatic life hazard assessments. This paper reviews important considerations for the design, conduct and interpretation of laboratory toxicity tests with physically and chemically dispersed oils based on an understanding of the behavior and toxicity of the hydrocarbons that comprise these substances. Guiding principles are provided that emphasize the critical need to understand and, when possible, characterize dissolved hydrocarbon exposures that dictate observed toxicity in these tests. These principles provide a consistent framework for interpreting toxicity studies performed using different substances and test methods by allowing varying dissolved exposures to be expressed in terms of a common metric based on toxic units (TUs). The use of passive sampling methods is also advocated since such analyses provide an analytical surrogate for TUs. The proposed guidance is translated into a series of questions that can be used in evaluating existing data and in guiding design of future studies. Application of these questions to a number of recent publications indicates such considerations are often ignored, thus perpetuating the difficulty of interpreting and comparing results between studies and limiting data use in objective hazard assessment. Greater attention to these principles will increase the comparability and utility of oil toxicity data in decision-making.

Guidance for improving comparability and relevance of dispersed oil toxicity tests

The complex nature, variable composition and limited aqueous solubility of crude oil and related petroleum products poses challenges for evaluating the aquatic toxicity of these substances. While considerable research has been performed to understand the effects of physically and chemically dispersed oils to aquatic organisms, differences in design and conduct of aquatic toxicity studies often makes results impossible to compare and correctly apply in decision-making. A review of past approaches for generating and characterizing oil exposures in toxicity tests in the absence and presence of chemical dispersants based on the commonly used water accommodated fraction (WAF) procedure is discussed. Differences in the multicomponent dissolution behavior and resulting exposure concentrations of dissolved hydrocarbons in WAFs obtained from different test procedures based on nominal oil loadings or WAF dilutions are illustrated using several case studies. To provide a consistent framework for interpreting toxicity results, dissolved hydrocarbon exposures are coupled to an additive toxicity model. This framework is applied to toxicity tests involving different experimental designs. Two important design considerations that influence observed toxicity are the use of open or closed test systems and constant or declining exposure conditions. A key consideration shown to impact dissolved hydrocarbon exposures in studies that rely on WAF dilutions is the carry over and dissolution of oil droplets. This process can complicate toxicity relationships obtained with predicted or measured oil exposures. Recent advances in passive sampling methods that allow accurate quantification of dissolved hydrocarbon exposure in WAF tests are discussed. Based on insights from this analysis, guidance is provided for standardizing exposure characterization and applying a mechanistic framework in the interpretation of future oil toxicity studies. Adoption of these recommendations would serve to increase comparability across studies, improve the utility of such data in hazard and risk assessments and avoid unsupported conclusions that could misguide rational spill response.

Preparation of aqueous media for aquatic toxicity testing of oils and oil-based products: A review of the published literature

The published literature has been reviewed with respect to the methods used to prepare aqueous media for use in tests to determine the toxicity to aquatic organisms of oils and formulated products based upon oils. Different methods have been identified which reflect two fundamentally different approaches: the whole media approach and the fractional media approach. This paper describes the two approaches and the methods which have been applied within each. The factors which are known to influence the composition of aqueous media prepared by mixing these types of substances with water are also discussed.

Distribution of hydrocarbons among oil, water and vapor phases during oil dispersant toxicity tests.

A set of equations has been derived which permit the calculation of the partition of a hydrocarbon or group of hydrocarbons between oil, water and vapor phases as may occur during dispersed oil toxicity testing. It is hoped that these equations will be useful in designing and interpreting the results from dispersed oil toxicity tests, especially in elucidating the relative toxic contributions of dissolved and particulate oil.

Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants.

Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants.

Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants

Book Review| June 01 1975 Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants. L. R. BEYNON. E. B. COWELL. Applied Science Publishers,London, 1974, pp. 149,£5.00 N. O. CROSSLAND N. O. CROSSLAND Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Biochem Soc Trans (1975) 3 (3): 447. https://doi.org/10.1042/bst0030447 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Citation N. O. CROSSLAND; Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 1975; 3 (3): 447. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bst0030447 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll JournalsBiochemical Society Transactions Search Advanced Search This content is only available as a PDF. © 1975 Biochemical Society1975 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Handbook of Marine Science, Volume 1. Edited by F. G. Walton Smith Cleveland, Ohio: CRC Press, 1974. 640 pp. Price $43.95. - Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants. Edited by L. R. Beynon and E. B. Cowell Barking, Essex: Applied Science Publishers Ltd, 1974. Pp viii + 149. Price £5.00.

Handbook of Marine Science, Volume 1. Edited by F. G. Walton Smith Cleveland, Ohio: CRC Press, 1974. 640 pp. Price $43.95. - Ecological Aspects of Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants. Edited by L. R. Beynon and E. B. Cowell Barking, Essex: Applied Science Publishers Ltd, 1974. Pp viii + 149. Price £5.00.

The Toxicity Testing of Oils and Dispersants: A European View

ABSTRACT This paper represents a review of European approaches to the purpose and problems of testing the toxicity of hydrocarbons and dispersants. It was prepared by the authors following a meeting of a group of European ecologists, which was convened by the Dispersant Working Group of the UK Institute of Petroleum Co-ordinating Committee for the Prevention of Sea Pollution. The paper deals with the aims of toxicity tests, and draws distinctions between those devised for toxicity ranking purposes, required by governments and industry for assessing the potential of new products, and those tests done for predicting possible ecological effects from the spillage of oil or use of dispersants. The paper also discusses the principles guiding the two approaches, and compares the use of LD50 with tests examining recovery and survival. Laboratory tests are examined in relation to field experiments and experience. In discussing laboratory practice, chemical problems, standardisation, the selection of test organisms, sampling, experimental design data processing and data presentation are considered.