Development of a laboratory exposure system using marine fish to carry out realistic effect studies with produced water discharged from offshore oil production.
A biotest system for environmentally realistic exposure of fish to produced water (PW) was developed and tested. Authentic PW was collected at an oil production platform in the North Sea and preserved by freezing in multiple aliquots a 25L. After transport to the test laboratory onshore, daily PW aliquots were thawed, homogenised and administered to the test fish, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), in two diluted exposure concentrations, 0.1% and 0.5%, during a 15 d period, using a continuous flow-through exposure setup. Positive control groups were exposed to two crude oil treatments for comparison. Chemical analyses showed that alkylphenol (AP) and PAH concentrations in PW exposure waters were very low. Observations of significantly increased AP and PAH metabolite levels in PW exposed fish demonstrated the suitability of the biotest system for its use in biological exposure/effect studies of PW, and it also demonstrated the sensitivity of bile metabolites as PW exposure markers in fish. The relevance of the biotest system for PW effect studies and for validating modelled environmental risk estimates of PW dischargers from offshore oil production is discussed.
Sundt
Rolf C
RC
IRIS - International Research Institute of Stavanger, P.O. Box 8046, N-4068 Stavanger, Norway. rolf.sundt@iris.no
Meier
Sonnich
S
Jonsson
Grete
G
Sanni
Steinar
S
Beyer
Jonny
J
D000818:Animals; D020378:Confined Spaces; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D048389:Gadus morhua / Q000378:metabolism*; D023421:Models, Animal; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D010636:Phenols / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
D010578:Petroleum; D010636:Phenols; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical