Effects of oil pollution at Kuwait’s greater Al-Burgan oil field on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in the tissues of the desert lizard Acanthodactylus scutellatus and their ant prey

Abstract

Using indicator species to monitor the effects of oil pollution was thought to be useful to assess whether local desert reptiles and their insect prey could fulfill such a role in an area damaged in the second Gulf War (1990). Polluted sites with apparently different degrees of contamination (namely tar mat, soot, and clear sites) located at Kuwait's Greater Al-Burgan oil field were compared with control areas outside this region in study conducted in 2002. Five Acanthodactylus scutellatus lizards from each study and control site were humanely killed and stored in a freezer at -20 degrees C until analysis. Ants from the same sites were also collected and treated in a similar manner. Lizard and ant whole body tissues were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons (HCs). The study concentrated on sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), EPA priority pollutants used as indicators of petrogenic HC contamination. There were significantly different concentrations of total PAHs in lizards and ants among all four study sites. Of the 16 PAHs, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and benzo[a]anthracene were present in both lizard and ant samples from the Greater Al-Burgan oil field sites irrespective of the apparent degree of pollution but were undetectable in materials from the control sites. The range of total PAHs in lizards was 26.5-301 ng g(-1) and it was 6.7-82.1 ng g(-1) in ants. Concentrations increased progressively along an expected contamination gradient. Total PAHs were detected in biota even in an area (clear site) that did not appear, virtually, to contain petroleum soil pollution which supports the value of indicator biota species. For all three sites where PAHs were found in biota, the ratio of total PAHs in ants to lizards was consistently 3.3-3.4. These data show that, although 12 years have passed since the Kuwait oil spill catastrophe, all sites are still contaminated with PAHs. Use of lizard and ant materials in monitoring such desert locations seems to be an effective strategy.

Functional gene diversity of soil microbial communities from five oil-contaminated fields in China

“…Oil contamination is particularly severe and has become a global issue, such as in Kuwait (Al-Sarawi and Massoud, 1998;Al-Hashem et al, 2007;Din et al, 2008), India (Gogoi et al, 2003), Libya (Hamid et al, 2008), China (Xiong et al, 1997;Liang et al, 2009a) and the United States (Lundegard and Johnson, 2006).…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—induced ROS accumulation enhances mutagenic potential of T‐antigen from human polyomavirus JC

“…Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in cigarette smoke, deep-fried food, and are abundant in natural crude oil (Al-Hashem et al, 2007; Goldstein et al, 2011; Dickey, 2012; Rotkin-Ellman et al, 2012). Large-scale oil spills such as the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, contribute to the overall increase in PAHs concentration in water, soil, and air.…”

Impact of upstream oil extraction and environmental public health: A review of the evidence

“…Specifically, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and benzo[a]anthracene were found in both species found in the oil field region but not found in other sites (Al-Hashem 2011). They also identified higher numbers of dead and swollen cells with cytoplasmic degeneration in the analysis of liver tissue from lizards in this region (Al-Hashem et al 2007). In addition, damage was greater in male than in female lizards, suggesting an overall impact to an organism's growth, survival, and reproduction with exposure.…”