Histopathology and cytogenetic evaluation of Pacific herring larvae exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in the laboratory or in Prince William Sound, Alaska, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Abstract

Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) larvae sampled from oiled sites had ascites, pericardial edema, and genotoxic damage. Laboratory study confirmed that these lesions were consistent with oil exposure. Pacific herring larvae were trawled from two oiled and two unoiled sites in Prince William Sound in May 1989. Larvae from oiled sites were shorter, had ingested less food, had slower growth (oiled, 0.07-0.10 mm/day; unoiled, 0.15-0.18 mm/day), and had higher prevalence of cytogenetic damage (oiled, 56-84%; unoiled, 32-40%) and ascites (oiled, 16%; unoiled, 1%) than from unoiled sites. In the laboratory experiment, Pacific herring eggs were exposed to an oil-water dispersion of Prudhoe Bay crude oil (initial concentrations of 0.0, 0.10, 0.24, 0.48, and 2.41 mg/L) and sampled for histopathology <24 h after hatching. Effects were significant at the 0.48 mg/L dose (Dunnett's procedure, P < 0.05). Lesions included ascites; hepatocellular vacuolar change; and degeneration or necrosis of skeletal myocytes, retinal cells, and developing brain cells. Lesions in field-sampled larvae were consistent with higher mortality rates documented in larvae from oiled sites.Résumé : Après le déversement pétrolier de l'Exxon Valdez qui a eu lieu en 1989 dans le golfe du Prince-William, Alaska, É.-U., des larves de hareng du Pacifique (Clupea pallasi), prélevées dans des sites exposés au pétrole présentaient des ascites, de l'oedème péricardique et des lésions génotoxiques. Une étude en laboratoire a confirmé qu'il y avait compatibilité entre ces lésions et l'exposition au pétrole. Des larves de hareng du Pacifique ont été récoltées par chalutage dans deux sites exposés au pétrole et dans deux sites non exposés dans le golf du Prince-William en mai 1989. Les larves provenant des sites exposés étaient plus courtes, avaient ingéré moins d'aliments, avaient une croissance plus lente (site exposé, 0,07-0,10 mm/jour; site non exposé, 0,15-0,18 mm/jour) et présentaient une fréquence plus élevée de lésions cytogénétiques (site exposé, 56-84 %; site non exposé, 32-40 %) et d'ascites (site exposé, 16 %; site non exposé, 1 %) que les larves provenant des sites non exposés au pétrole. Au cours d'une expérience de laboratoire, des oeufs de hareng du Pacifique ont été exposés à une dispersion pétrole-eau de pétrole brut de Prudhoe Bay (concentrations initiales de 0,0, 0,10, 0,24, 0,48 et 2,41 mg/L) et ont été examinés pour déceler des manifestations histopathologiques moins de 24 h après leur éclosion. Les effets étaient statistiquement significatifs à la dose d'exposition de 0,48 mg/L (méthode de Dunnett, P < 0,05). Parmi les lésions figuraient des ascites, des modifications vacuolaires hépatocellulaires et une dégénérescence ou une nécrose des myocytes squelettiques, des cellules rétiniennes et des cellules cérébrales en développement. Les lésions chez les larves échantillonnées sur le terrain correspondaient avec les taux de mortalité élevés documentés chez les larves pr...

Deepwater Horizon crude oil impacts the developing hearts of large predatory pelagic fish

“…Pacific herring were a focal species for natural resource injury assessments following the Exxon Valdez (41) (Alaskan waters) and Cosco Busan oil spills (38) (California Current). Herring early life stages exposed to both oil types, in both the field and the laboratory, developed cardiotoxic defects in the form of bradycardia (38) and pericardial edema (38,41), with strikingly similar results to those reported here for subtropical spawning pelagic fish. The remarkably consistent morphological and physiological responses to oil across diverse fish species indicate that the core mechanisms of PAH-induced cardiotoxicity are conserved.…”

Toxicity Testing of Crude Oil and Related Compounds Using Early Life Stages of the Crimson-Spotted Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis)

“…These are characterized as #uid "lling the peritoneal cavity, causing pericardial edema or hydropericardium (Marty et al, 1997). Edema has previously been shown to be responsible for larval mortality (Carls et al, 1999).…”

Sublethal exposure to crude oil during embryonic development alters cardiac morphology and reduces aerobic capacity in adult fish

“…Evidence of population effects is strongest for pink salmon, for which studies of embryos in spawning gravels in the intertidal zone of streams crossing oiled beaches demonstrated elevated mortality for at least 4 y after the spill (2)(3)(4). Laboratory studies subsequently showed that water contaminated with PAHs in the low parts per billion (ppb or μg/L) dissolved from oiled gravel produced a characteristic syndrome of edema in both species (5)(6)(7)(8). Moreover, a series of mark and recapture studies with pink salmon found that morphologically normal juveniles that survived embryonic exposure to water containing <20 μg/L total PAHs had elevated rates of postrelease mortality in the marine environment, with an average reduction in adult survival by 36% (6,9,10).…”