by Playfuls Staff |
21st December 2006
A U.S. study determined the toxicity of weathered oil decreases over time following an oil spill.
While there [more] is agreement that oil spills are initially catastrophic but there has been extensive scientific debate concerning their long-term impacts. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 spawned numerous conflicting scientific reports regarding the long-term effects of that spilled oil.
Dominic DiToro and colleagues at the University of Delaware determined weathering removes the chemicals with greater toxic potential, leaving the chemicals with lower toxic potential. The replacement of more toxically potent compounds with less toxically potent compounds lowers the toxicity.
They said their study provides a means to determine the trajectory of such a decrease by predicting the aquatic and sediment toxicity of fresh and weathered crude oils, based on the composition of specific PAHs making up the oil mixture.
The research is published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
© 2006 UPI
