Toxicity of seawater and sand affected by the Prestige fuel-oil spill using bivalve and sea urchin embryogenesis bioassays (original) (raw)
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Introducción El sedimento es uno de los compartimentos ambientales más importantes para el estudio y seguimiento de la calidad ambiental de los ecosistemas litorales, ya que en él se acumulan la mayor parte de los contaminantes que entran en el medio marino (Ingersoll 1995), llegando a alcanzar concentraciones muy superiores a las de la columna de agua. Este proceso de acumulación es especialmente relevante en el caso de contaminación por petróleo o sus derivados, en los que la mayor parte de los constituyentes son compuestos muy hidrófobos y con una fuerte tendencia a adherirse al material particulado y depositarse en el fondo. Por ello, se escogió este compartimento para hacer un estudio comparativo del estado de varias zonas afectadas en distinto grado por el vertido del Prestige, tanto desde el punto de vista fisicoquímico, midiendo el nivel de
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2021
This study deals with the toxicity assessment of crude and bunker oils representative of prospective oil spill threats in Arctic and Sub-Arctic seas (NNA: Naphthenic North-Atlantic crude oil; MGO: Marine Gas Oil; IFO: Intermediate Fuel Oil 180), alone or in combination with a third-generation dispersant (Finasol OSR52®). Early life stages of sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus, were selected for toxicity testing of oil low-energy water accommodated fractions. A multi-index approach, including larval size increase and malformation, and developmental disruption as endpoints, was sensitive to discriminate from slight to severe toxicity caused by the tested aqueous fractions. IFO (heavy bunker oil) was more toxic than NNA (light crude oil), with MGO (light bunker oil) in between. The dispersant was toxic and further on it enhanced oil toxicity. Toxic units revealed that identified PAHs were not the main cause for toxicity, most likely exerted by individual or combined toxic action of nonmeasured compounds.
Ecotoxicology, 2006
The soluble components of fuel oil are generally assumed to be the fraction that is toxic for organisms living in the water column. We have used a liquid phase bioassay with embryos of sea urchin to assess the toxicity of the water-soluble fraction (elutriate) of the fuel oil spilled when the tanker Prestige sank on 13 November 2002. Two methodologies to obtain elutriates were carried out in order to compare the effect of the extraction method on the measured toxicity.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2006
In November 2002 the tanker 'Prestige' sunk in front of the Galician coast (NW Iberian Peninsula). As a result, > 60 000 t of heavy fuel oil leaked into the sea, affecting >1000 km of coastline. In order to assess the effects of the oil spill on coastal ecosystems, mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were sampled (April, July and September 2003) in 17 locations along the Galician and Bay of Biscay coasts. In this study, 3 biomarkers were assessed: lysosomal responses as changes in the lysosomal structure and in the lysosomal membrane stability, accumulation of intracellular neutral lipids and peroxisome proliferation as induction of acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX) activity. Mussel flesh condition index and gonad developmental stages were assessed as supporting parameters. Lysosomal membrane stability was reduced in mussels from all locations, indicating disturbed health, especially in mussels from all Galician locations. Similarly, lysosomal enlargement was observed in most locations, as shown by relatively low values of the surface-to-volume ratio, although the volume density of lysosomes was low due to decreased lysosomal numbers. Overall, intracellular accumulation of neutral lipids was conspicuous in digestive tubules of mussels collected in July and was increased further in September. AOX induction was detectable in mussels sampled in April, except for those collected in Galicia. In July mussels from the most impacted stations in Galicia, Caldebarcos and Camelle, showed the highest AOX values. In conclusion, the biomarkers employed detected exposure to toxic chemicals and a disturbed status of health in mussels from the northern Iberian Peninsula after the 'Prestige' oil spill and will allow assessment of the long-term effects of the spill on the coastal ecosystems.
Chemosphere, 2008
Sediment contamination and three bioassays were used to determine the sediment quality four years after an oil spill (Prestige, 2002): the Microtox Ò test, a 10-day bioassay using the amphipod Ampelisca brevicornis, and a polychaete 10-day toxicity test with the lugworm Arenicola marina. In addition, bioaccumulation of PAHs was examined in the polychaete after 10 days of exposure. The results obtained from the toxicity tests and bioaccumulation analyses were statistically compared to the sediment chemical data, in order to assess the bioavailability of the contaminants, their effects, and their relationship with the oil spill. The sediments studied were from two areas of the Galician Coast (NW Spain): the Bay of Corme-Laxe and the Cíes Island, located in the Atlantic Island National Park. The results point to a decrease in contamination with respect to previous studies and to the disappearance of the acute toxicity four years after the oil spill. However an important bioaccumulation of PAHs was detected in the organisms exposed to sediments from Corme-Laxe, suggesting that despite the recovery of the environmental quality of the area, effects in the biota might be occurring.
Regional Studies in Marine Science, 2020
A novel approach of combining manipulative field experiments and cytogenetic endpoints was used to assess the genotoxic impact of chemical contamination on a local model bivalve species, the pearl oyster-Pinctada imbricata radiata. Baseline levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs) and trace metals were determined from surface sediments and pearl oyster tissue collected from 3 coastal locations in Qatar (Umm Bab, Dukhan and Al-Wakra). Initial aneuploidy-numerical chromosomal abnormality-level in oysters was also assessed during the baseline survey. The oysters' ability to adapt to new sites, with distinct signatures in terms of chemical contamination, was assessed using a reciprocal transplantation experiment among the same 3 coastal locations, from February to April 2016. Significant differences in sediment contamination levels were detected among the 3 sites. TPHs were in higher concentrations at Umm Bab (western coast), while higher concentrations of metals and PAHs were found at Dukhan (western coast) and Al-Wakra (eastern coast), respectively. Oysters transplanted between locations showed lower levels of aneuploidy, relative to those kept in the original location (controls). Transplanted oysters, regardless of the contamination levels at the origin and destination, showed recovery from initial aneuploidy levels. Moreover, there was a larger percentage of aneuploid cells with chromosomal gain than with chromosomal loss in all treatments, which contrasts with the pattern usually observed in bivalves.
Chemosphere, 2009
Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in three species of commercial shellfish, namely razor shells (Ensis arcuatus and Ensis siliqua), goose barnacle (Pollicipes cornucopia) and sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus), living in different habitats and exhibiting different feeding behaviors. The samples were collected monthly, from January 2003 to October 2004, in three stations of the Galicia coast (NW Spain), following the Prestige oil spill, with the aim of assessing their response to the spill and, therefore, their suitability for monitoring purposes.