Review of petroleum toxicity and identifying common endpoints for future research on diluted bitumen toxicity in marine mammals

Large volumes of conventional crude oil continue to be shipped by sea from production to consumption areas across the globe. In addition, unconventional petroleum products also transverse pelagic habitats; for example, diluted bitumen from Canada’s oilsands which is shipped along the Pacific coast t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecotoxicology (London) 2021-05, Vol.30 (4), p.537-551
Main Authors: Ruberg, E. J., Elliott, J. E., Williams, T. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormalities
Animals
Baseline studies
Bitumens
Bituminous materials
Breeding success
Crude oil
Dilution
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Management
Exposure
Fish
Genotoxicity
Hematology
Hydrocarbons - toxicity
Immune response
Irritation
Literature reviews
Lung diseases
Malformations
Marine animals
Marine mammals
Metals
Mini-Review
Neurotoxicity
Oil sands
Oil spills
Organ weight
Pelage
Petroleum
Petroleum - analysis
Petroleum - toxicity
Petroleum Pollution - adverse effects
Petroleum Pollution - analysis
Petroleum products
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Population decline
Reproduction
Toxicity
Toxicity testing
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
Wildlife
Wildlife habitats
Wounds
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Summary:Large volumes of conventional crude oil continue to be shipped by sea from production to consumption areas across the globe. In addition, unconventional petroleum products also transverse pelagic habitats; for example, diluted bitumen from Canada’s oilsands which is shipped along the Pacific coast to the United States and Asia. Therefore, there is a continuing need to assess the toxicological consequences of chronic and catastrophic petroleum spillage on marine wildlife. Peer-reviewed literature on the toxicity of unconventional petroleum such as diluted bitumen exists for teleost fish, but not for fauna such as marine mammals. In order to inform research needs for unconventional petroleum toxicity we conducted a comprehensive literature review of conventional petroleum toxicity on marine mammals. The common endpoints observed in conventional crude oil exposures and oil spills include hematological injury, modulation of immune function and organ weight, genotoxicity, eye irritation, neurotoxicity, lung disease, adrenal dysfunction, metabolic and clinical abnormalities related to oiling of the pelage, behavioural impacts, decreased reproductive success, mortality, and population-level declines. Based on our findings and the body of literature we accessed, our recommendations for future research include: 1) improved baseline data on PAH and metals exposure in marine mammals, 2) improved pre- and post-spill data on marine mammal populations, 3) the use of surrogate mammalian models for petroleum toxicity testing, and 4) the need for empirical data on the toxicity of unconventional petroleum to marine mammals.
ISSN:0963-9292
1573-3017
DOI:10.1007/s10646-021-02373-x