Book Description

One component study of the Newfoundland Oil Burn Experiment, conducted offshore in August 1993, was developed to determine the potential toxic effects to aquatic organisms that could result from in-situ burning of oil spills and how these effects compare to those from unburned oil. This paper presents results of studies comparing the chemistry and toxicity of background samples, pre-burn samples, and post-burn samples. The chemical analyses included identification of 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and determining total petroleum hydrocarbons. The toxicity tests conducted on laboratory-generated samples included the echinoderm sperm cell test, the echinoderm larvae test, the echinoderm cytogenetics test, the bivalve larvae test, and the inland silverside juvenile fish test. The same suite of tests, excluding the cytogenetics test, was conducted on the field-burn samples. The overall results indicate whether the potential for toxicity should be a factor preventing the use of in-situ burning.