Comparative toxicity of Corexit® 9500, oil, and a Corexit®/oil mixture on the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin)

Lindsay Jasperse; Milton Levin; Katherine Tsantiris; Roxanna Smolowitz; Christopher Perkins; J Evan Ward; Sylvain De Guise

doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.07.015

Comparative toxicity of Corexit^® 9500, oil, and a Corexit^®/oil mixture on the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin)

Aquat Toxicol. 2018 Oct:203:10-18. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.07.015. Epub 2018 Jul 20.

Authors

Lindsay Jasperse¹, Milton Levin², Katherine Tsantiris³, Roxanna Smolowitz⁴, Christopher Perkins⁵, J Evan Ward⁶, Sylvain De Guise⁷

Affiliations

¹ University of Connecticut, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, Storrs, CT, USA. Electronic address: lindsay.jasperse@uconn.edu.
² University of Connecticut, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, Storrs, CT, USA; University of Connecticut, Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Storrs, CT, USA.
³ University of Connecticut, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, Storrs, CT, USA.
⁴ Roger Williams University, Department of Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science, Bristol, RI, USA.
⁵ University of Connecticut, Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Storrs, CT, USA.
⁶ University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sciences, Groton, CT, USA.
⁷ University of Connecticut, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, Storrs, CT, USA; Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, Groton, CT, USA.

PMID: 30064050
DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.07.015

Abstract

Given their particle feeding behavior, sessile nature, and abundance in coastal zones, bivalves are at significant risk for exposure to oil and oil dispersant following environmental disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. However, the effects of oil combined with oil dispersants on the health of oysters are not well studied. Therefore, eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were exposed in vivo to Corexit^® 9500, crude oil (high-energy water accommodated fraction; HEWAF), and a Corexit^®/oil mixture (chemically-enhanced water accommodated fraction; CEWAF) to evaluate potential toxic effects on immunological (phagocytosis and respiratory burst), physiological (feeding rate), and histological endpoints. Phagocytosis was significantly increased following CEWAF exposure only. Respiratory burst was significantly decreased following Corexit^® exposure, but significantly increased following exposure to the highest concentration of CEWAF. Oyster feeding rates were significantly decreased following exposure to Corexit^®, HEWAF, and CEWAF, and were most sensitive to CEWAF exposure. These modulations of important immunological and physiological functions could result in serious health outcomes for oysters, such as increased parasitism and decreased growth. Our experiments showed that subtle, sub-lethal effects occurred following acute in vivo exposure to Corexit^®, HEWAF, and CEWAF, though oysters were not equally sensitive to the three components. Data from this study can be used for more accurate risk assessment concerning the impact of oil and Corexit^® on the health of oysters.

Keywords: CEWAF; Corexit(®); Dispersant; HEWAF; Immunotoxicity; Oil spills; Oyster toxicology.

Publication types

Comparative Study

MeSH terms

Animals
Chemical Fractionation
Crassostrea / drug effects*
Crassostrea / immunology
Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid / metabolism
Granulocytes / cytology
Granulocytes / drug effects
Larva / drug effects
Lipids / toxicity*
Petroleum / toxicity*
Petroleum Pollution / analysis
Phagocytosis / drug effects
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / metabolism
Toxicity Tests*
Water / chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical / toxicity

Substances

Lipids
Petroleum
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical
corexit 9500
Water
Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid