You are here:
COMPARATIVE TOXICITY OF OFFSHORE AND OIL-ADDED DRILLING MUDS TO LARVAE OF THE GRASS SHRIMP 'PALAEMONETES INTERMEDIUS'
Citation:
Conklin, P. AND K. Rao. COMPARATIVE TOXICITY OF OFFSHORE AND OIL-ADDED DRILLING MUDS TO LARVAE OF THE GRASS SHRIMP 'PALAEMONETES INTERMEDIUS'. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-84/189.
Description:
Offshore drilling fluids (muds) varied widely in their toxicity to grass shrimp (Palaemonetes intermedius) larvae. The 96-hr LC50S for the eleven drilling muds tested ranged from 142 to >100,000 ppm (microliters/L). There was a significant correlation between oil content of the drilling muds and their toxicity. Furthermore, addition of diesel oil (No. 2 fuel oil) or mineral oil to an offshore drilling mud have a low oil content or to an oil-free synthetic drilling mud led to a marked increase in the toxicity of these muds. Thus, much of the toxicity of the offshore drilling muds tested can be attributable to the oil content.