Comparison of Acute Aquatic Effects of the Oil Dispersant Corexit 9500 with Those of Other Corexit Series Dispersants

Singer, Michael M.; George, Saji; Jacobson, Susan; Lee, Ina; Weetman, Lisa L.; Tjeerdema, Ronald S.; Sowby, Michael L.

doi:10.1006/eesa.1996.0098

Cited by 65 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Potential ecotoxicological effects of this change must be taken into consideration because benthic organisms that initially are not affected by oil may be exposed to the harmful impacts of dispersants (9,10). The fragile coral reefs, and, particularly their building blocks, the scleractinan corals, need extra care when dealing with the devastating agents of oil and oil dispersants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Short and Long Term Toxicity of Crude Oil and Oil Dispersants to Two Representative Coral Species

Shafir

Rijn

Rinkevich

2007

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Oil dispersants, the tool of choice for treating oil spills in tropical marine environments, is potentially harmful to marine life, including reef corals. In a previous study, we found that dispersed oil and oil dispersants are harmful to soft and hard coral species at early life stages. In this broader study, we employed a "nubbin assay" on more than 10 000 coral fragments to evaluate the short-and long-term impacts of dispersed oil fractions (DOFs) from six commercial dispersants, the dispersants and water-soluble-fractions (WSFs) of Egyptian crude oil, on two Indo Pacific branching coral species, Stylophora pistillata and Pocillopora damicornis. Survivorship and growth of nubbins were recorded for up to 50 days following a single, short (24 h) exposure to toxicants in various concentrations. Manufacturer-recommended dispersant concentrations proved to be highly toxic and resulted in mortality for all nubbins. The dispersed oil and the dispersants were significantly more toxic than crude oil WSFs. As corals are particularly susceptible to oil detergents and dispersed oil, the results of these assays rules out the use of any oil dispersant in coral reefs and in their vicinity. The ecotoxicological impacts of the various dispersants on the corals could be rated on a scale from the least to the most harmful agent, as follows: Slickgone > Petrotech > Inipol ) Biorieco > Emulgal > Dispolen.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most information on ecotoxicological impacts of dispersants comes from studies on North American dispersants of the Corexit family (9). Information on other dispersants (e.g., European manufactured dispersants) is limited and their effects on corals is deficient (4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short and Long Term Toxicity of Crude Oil and Oil Dispersants to Two Representative Coral Species

Shafir

Rijn

Rinkevich

2007

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Although the exact compositions of most commercially available oil dispersants are proprietary, they typically contain a high percentage of one or more uncharged or charged anionic surfactants of different solubility. Surfactants are amphiphatic molecules possessing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups that act to decrease tension between the water and oil interface, stimulating the development of small oil-surfactant micelles less than 100 mM [5,6]. The greater surface area to volume of the droplets enhances entrainment of the micelles in the water column while also increasing the oil's availability to physical and microbial degradation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative toxicity of eight oil dispersants, Louisiana sweet crude oil (LSC), and chemically dispersed LSC to two aquatic test species

Hemmer

Barron

Greene

2011

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

180

122

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The present study describes the acute toxicity of eight commercial oil dispersants, South Louisiana sweet crude oil (LSC), and chemically dispersed LSC. The approach used consistent test methodologies within a single laboratory in assessing the relative acute toxicity of the eight dispersants, including Corexit 9500A, the predominant dispersant applied during the DeepWater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Static acute toxicity tests were performed using two Gulf of Mexico estuarine test species, the mysid shrimp (Americamysis bahia) and the inland silversides (Menidia beryllina). Dispersant-only test solutions were prepared with high-energy mixing, whereas water-accommodated fractions of LSC and chemically dispersed LSC were prepared with moderate energy followed by settling and testing of the aqueous phase. The median lethal concentration (LC50) values for the dispersant-only tests were calculated using nominal concentrations, whereas tests conducted with LSC alone and dispersed LSC were based on measured total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations. For all eight dispersants in both test species, the dispersants alone were less toxic (LC50s: 2.9 to >5,600 µl/L) than the dispersant-LSC mixtures (0.4-13 mg TPH/L). Louisiana sweet crude oil alone had generally similar toxicity to A. bahia (LC50: 2.7 mg TPH/L) and M. beryllina (LC50: 3.5 mg TPH/L) as the dispersant-LSC mixtures. The results of the present study indicate that Corexit 9500A had generally similar toxicity to other available dispersants when tested alone but was generally less toxic as a mixture with LSC.

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“…In contrast, Corexit 9500 activated the virus with a double protein capsid, CSV. Although the complete formulation of Corexit 9500 is not available, the components include alcohols, such as 1-propanol, and nonionic and anionic surfactants which are used in detergents (3)(4)(5)24). The interaction of these components with the four viruses is discussed below, followed by a consideration of the environmental implications of the results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These spills are often treated with dispersants, such as Corexit 9500. The exact composition of Corexit is proprietary, but in general terms, the ingredients include anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and organic solvents (3)(4)(5). The dispersants function by breaking down large oil pools into small oil droplets, allowing them to sink into the water column.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Corexit 9500 Inactivates Two Enveloped Viruses of Aquatic Animals but Enhances the Infectivity of a Nonenveloped Fish Virus

Pham

Huang

Chen

et al. 2014

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The effects of Corexit 9500, a dispersant used to clean up oil spills, on invertebrates, lower vertebrates, birds, and human health have been examined, but there is a significant lack of study of the effect of this dispersant on aquatic viruses. In this study, the effects of Corexit 9500 on four aquatic viruses of differing structural composition were examined. Corexit 9500 reduced the titer of the enveloped viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) at all concentrations (10% to 0.001%) examined. The titer of frog virus 3 (FV3), a virus with both enveloped and nonenveloped virions, was reduced only at the high Corexit 9500 concentrations (10% to 0.1%). Corexit 9500 was unable to reduce the titer of nonenveloped infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) but enhanced the titer of chum salmon reovirus (CSV) by 2 to 4 logs. With the ability to inactivate enveloped viruses and possibly enhance some nonenveloped viruses, Corexit 9500 has the potential to alter the aquatic virosphere.

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Comparison of Acute Aquatic Effects of the Oil Dispersant Corexit 9500 with Those of Other Corexit Series Dispersants

Cited by 65 publications

References 28 publications

Short and Long Term Toxicity of Crude Oil and Oil Dispersants to Two Representative Coral Species

Short and Long Term Toxicity of Crude Oil and Oil Dispersants to Two Representative Coral Species

Comparative toxicity of eight oil dispersants, Louisiana sweet crude oil (LSC), and chemically dispersed LSC to two aquatic test species

Corexit 9500 Inactivates Two Enveloped Viruses of Aquatic Animals but Enhances the Infectivity of a Nonenveloped Fish Virus

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