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Aquatic toxicity of petroleum products and dispersant agents determined under the U.S. EPA Oil Spill Research Program
Citation:
Barron, M., R. Conmy, E. Holder, P. Meyer, G. Wilson, V. Principe, AND M. Willming. Aquatic toxicity of petroleum products and dispersant agents determined under the U.S. EPA Oil Spill Research Program. International Oil Spill Conference, Long Beach, CA, May 15 - 18, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
Abstract reporting the results of EPA's oil and dispersant toxicity testing program
Description:
The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development has developed baseline data on the ecotoxicity of selected petroleum products and several chemical dispersants as part of its oil spills research program. Two diluted bitumens (dilbits) from the Alberta Tar Sands were tested for acute and chronic toxicity to standard freshwater and marine organisms given their spill potential during shipment within the United States. Separately, two reference crude oils representing a range of characteristics, and their mixtures with four representative dispersants, were tested to evaluate acute and chronic toxicity to marine organisms in support of Subpart J of the U.S. National Contingency Plan. Water accommodated fractions (WAF) of oil were prepared using traditional slow-stir methods and toxicity tests generally followed U.S. EPA standard effluent testing guidelines. WAFs were characterized for petroleum hydrocarbons including alkyl PAH homologs. The results of these studies will assist the U.S. EPA to assess toxicity data for unconventional oils (dilbits), and establish baseline toxicity data for selected crude oils and dispersant in support of planning and response activities.