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A new method for testing toxicity of drilling fluid; effect on growth of mussels
- Source :
- Oil and Chemical Pollution. 4:127-138
- Publication Year :
- 1988
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 1988.
-
Abstract
- Four different oil-based drilling fluids were microencapsulated in a acacia/ gelatine structure. The microcapsules (size 1–10 μm) are dispersed in natural seawater in different concentrations, and fed to mussels in a running seawater system. One water-based drilling fluid was dispersed in seawater without microencapsulation. The growth in length of the exposed mussels was measured every 24 h for five days. Among the oil-based drilling fluids, the EC50 (5d) varied from < 1 to 66 ppm, and for the water-based drilling fluid EC50 ≫ 1000 ppm. There is no correlation between toxicity of the drilling fluids and their oil/water ratio, or between toxicity and the total content of aromatics in the base oils. The mussel test shows a markedly lower toxicity threshold than other tests with the same drilling fluids (Balanus-test, Microtox, Skeletonema-test). The results show that ingestion and digestion of the microencapsulated non-water soluble components of the drilling fluids may have a large impact on the overall toxicity, and that realistic estimates of specific toxicity have to include the effect of both particulate and dissolved fractions.
Details
- ISSN :
- 02698579
- Volume :
- 4
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Oil and Chemical Pollution
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........7a28ce65f517dedfed16fc3e3c60e3b4