Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog

RECORD NUMBER: 34 OF 107

Main Title Effect of Barite (BaSO4) on Development of Estuarine Communities.
Author Tagatz, Marlin E. ; Tobia., Michael ;
CORP Author Environmental Research Lab., Gulf Breeze, FL.
Year Published 1977
Report Number EPA/600/J-78/090 ;CONTRIB-340;
Stock Number PB-294 908
Additional Subjects Barite ; Estuaries ; Toxicology ; Sulfate minerals ; Drilling fluids ; Nonmetalliferous minerals ; Exposure ; Experimental data ; Plankton ; Benthos ; Development ; Mollusca ; Annelida ; Clams ; Oil wells ; Reprints ; Water pollution effects(Animals) ; Toxic substances ; Biological effects ; Laevicardium mortoni
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NTIS  PB-294 908 Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. 07/26/2022
Collation 9p
Abstract
Barite (BaSO4), the primary component of oil drilling muds, affected the composition of estuarine communities developed from planktonic larvae in aquaria containing sand and flowing estuarine water. Aquaria contained: sand only; a mixture (by volume) of 1 part barite and 10 parts sand; 1 part barite and 3 parts sand; or sand covered by 0.5 cm of barite. For all environments, annelids and mollusks were the numerically dominant phyla collected in a 1-mm-mesh sieve after 10 weeks exposure; a total of 3020 animals, representing 59 species was collected. Significantly fewer animals and species developed in aquaria sand covered by barite than in aquaria unexposed or exposed to 1 barite:10 sand. Number of animals in aquaria containing 1 barite:3 sand also differed from that in control aquaria. Annelids were particularly affected and significantly fewer were found found in all treatments than in the control. Mollusks decreased markedly in number only in barite-covered aquaria. Barite, however, did not impede growth (as height) of the abundant clam, Laevicardium mortoni, or decrease abundance of six other phyla. Our data indicate that large quantities of this compound, as discharged in offshore oil drilling, possibly could adversely affect the colonizaton of benthic animals.