Influence of a dispersant on the bioaccumulation of phenanthrene by topsmelt (Atherinops affinis).

Chemical dispersants enhance oil spill dispersion by forming water-accommodated micelles with oil droplets. However, how dispersants alter bioavailability and subsequent bioaccumulation of hydrocarbons is not well understood. Thus, the goal was to investigate the influence of a chemical dispersant on the disposition (uptake, biotransformation, and depuration) of a model hydrocarbon, [14C]-phenanthrene ([14C]PHN), by larval topsmelt (Atherinops affinis). Exposure was via aqueous-only or combined dietary and aqueous routes from a water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of Prudhoe Bay Crude Oil (PBCO) or a WAF of Corexit 9527-dispersed PBCO (DO). Trophic transfer was measured by incorporating into exposure media both a rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) as food for the fish and a phytoplankton (Isochrysis galbana) as food for the rotifers. Short-term (4 h) bioconcentration of PHN was significantly decreased in topsmelt when oil was treated with dispersant (P < 0.05), but differences diminished after 12 h. When trophic transfer was incorporated, PHN accumulation was initially delayed but after 12 h attained similar levels. Dispersant use also significantly decreased the proportion of biotransformed PHN (as 9-phenanthrylsulfate) produced by topsmelt (P < 0.05). However, overall PHN depuration was not affected by dispersant use. Thus, chemical dispersant use in oil spill response may reduce short-term uptake but not long-term accumulation of hydrocarbons such as PHN in pelagic fish.

Influence of dispersants on the bioavailability and trophic transfer of petroleum hydrocarbons to larval topsmelt (Atherinops affinis).

Use of chemical dispersants as oil spill clean-up agents may alter the normal behavior of petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) by increasing their functional water solubility, resulting in increased bioavailability and altered interactions between dispersant, oil, and biological membranes. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of dispersing agents on PH bioavailability and trophic transfer to larval fish from primary levels of a marine food chain. Uptake, bioaccumulation, depuration, and metabolic transformation of a model PH, [14C]naphthalene, were measured and compared for Prudhoe Bay crude oil (PBCO) dispersed with Corexit 9527(R) (DO) and undispersed preparations of the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of PBCO. The model food chain consisted of a primary producer, Isochrysis galbana; and a primary consumer, the rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis; and larval topsmelt, Atherinops affinis. Direct aqueous (AQ) exposure was compared with combined aqueous and dietary (AQ&D) exposure. Dispersants altered the uptake and depuration processes of naphthalene, independent of aqueous concentrations, in primary trophic species of a marine food chain. The amount of naphthalene taken up by topsmelt was initially significantly (P < or = 0.05) enhanced in the presence of dispersant, reaching a maximum more quickly than undispersed samples. Dispersion treatment significantly increased naphthalene dispension in topsmelt (P < or = 0.05) from both AQ and AQ&D exposures. No significant change in naphthalene uptake by fish was observed with the addition of contaminated food for either WAF or DO medium; however, both uptake and depuration rate constants varied significantly with route of exposure consistent with greater naphthalene turnover. The majority (> or = 72%) of naphthalene-derived radioactivity from fish tissue following all exposures was in the parent form, with smaller quantities of alpha- and beta-naphthols, alpha- and beta-naphthyl sulfates, and an unidentified derivative.