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Overview of the Toxicity of the Oil Dispersant Corexit
Citation:
DEMARINI, D. M. Overview of the Toxicity of the Oil Dispersant Corexit. Presented at 41st Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society(breakfast meeting of the Molecular Epidemiology Interest Group), Ft. Worth, TX, October 27, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
The talk covers the general principal behind the use of dispersants, the biodegradation of dispersants, the mutagenicity and rodent toxicity of dispersants, and the aquatic toxicity of dispersants.
Description:
Background. There are ~60 papers in the open literature on the biodegradation and toxicology of oil dispersants, nearly all of them on the two main forms of Corexit that were used in the recent BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, the talk summarizes this literature, which is quite limited. The talk covers the general principal behind the use of dispersants, the biodegradation of dispersants, the mutagenicity and rodent toxicity of dispersants, and the aquatic toxicity of dispersants. Main Points. Although there are few studies on the biodegradation of dispersants alone, dispersants can enhance the initial rate of biodegradation of oil. The application of dispersants can increase the initial toxicity of the oil to aquatic life living in the water column-where the oil is dispersed into droplets. However, dispersed oil is likely metabolized more quickly by microbes than un-dispersed oil. Early-life stages (eggs or embryos) of aquatic organisms are generally (but not always) more sensitive than juvenile or adult forms of the same species. Corexit is not mutagenic and has minimal endocrine-disrupting activity. Impact. This brief talk will provide a concise overview of the limited information available in the open literature on the toxicology of oil dispersants. As such, it should be a moderately informative presentation that may stimulate interest among some of the attendees to pursue research on oil dispersants. [Presentation approved by NHEERL, US EPA but does not necessarily reflect Agency policies