Abstract
Oil spills from ship traffic or oil production represent a huge threat to the environment. A controlled and thick oil slick is crucial in relation to combatting oil spills, not least for Arctic waters, before introducing the oil spill response method in situ burning. Recently, herding agents have been introduced, with success, as a measure to contain and thicken oil spills, when sprayed to the perimeter of the slick. In this study, we evaluated potential environmental impacts of using herding agents. Toxicity, bioaccumulation and biodegradability of the two herders ThickSlick 6535 (TS6535) and Siltech OP‐40 (OP‐40) were studied in laboratory set-ups with Arctic water and the high Arctic copepod, Calanus hyperboreus. TS6535 was found to biodegrade rapidly within 7 days, and did not seem to bioaccumulate in the copepods or affect their grazing activity. Tests with OP-40 showed bioaccumulation in the copepods, sublethal effects (as reduced grazing activity) and limited biodegradation. The results thus indicate that OP-40 may possibly pose a risk to the Arctic marine environment. The data and knowledge from the tests poses valuable input to assess the potential environmental impacts from using herders in Arctic waters in connection with oil spill response. However, more knowledge is still needed to fully understand the fate and effect of herders in the environment; this also includes possible combined and/or cumulative effects from herders and oil.
Highlights
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TS6535 biodegrades within 7 days, whereas OP-40 was only biodegraded within 28 days.
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TS6535 does not bioaccumulate in Calanus hyperboreus or affect grazing activity.
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OP-40 tends to bioaccumulate in Calanus hyperboreus and affects grazing activity.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Ellen Christiansen and Charlotte Dahl Schiødt for assistance in the laboratory completing the chemical analysis, Daniel Spelling Clausen for assistance with preparing the map, and Mads Schultz for assistance in the laboratory.
Funding
This work was supported by the International Oil and Gas Association IOGP, the Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology Joint Industry Programme (JIP), and DCE, the Danish Centre for Environment and Energy.
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Fritt-Rasmussen, J., Møller, E.F., Kyhn, L.A. et al. Biodegradation, Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Oil Spill Herding Agents in Arctic Waters as Part of an Ecotoxicological Screening. Water Air Soil Pollut 232, 380 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05332-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05332-8