A standardised approach to the environmental risk assessment of potentially polluting wrecks.

The potential risk to the marine environment of oil release from potentially polluting wrecks (PPW) is increasingly being acknowledged, and in some instances remediation actions have been required. However, where a PPW has been identified, there remains a great deal of uncertainty around the environmental risk it may pose. Estimating the likelihood of a wreck to release oil and the threat to marine receptors remains a challenge. In addition, removing oil from wrecks is not always cost effective, so a proactive approach is recommended to identify PPW that pose the greatest risk to sensitive marine ecosystems and local economies and communities. This paper presents a desk-based assessment approach which addresses PPW, and the risk they pose to environmental and socio-economic marine receptors, using modelled scenarios and a framework and scoring system. This approach can be used to inform proactive management options for PPW and can be applied worldwide.

Qualification of oil-spill treatment products - Adopting the Baffled Flask Test for testing of dispersant efficacy in the UK.

The UK Marine Management Organisation (MMO) tasked the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) with reviewing the current UK dispersant efficacy testing procedures. The aim was to identify possibilities to increase standardisation, improve health and safety performance and explore harmonisation possibilities with international dispersant efficacy testing procedures. The US EPA 'Baffled Flask Test' (BFT) was adopted, implemented and validated as a new standard method in the UK. The outputs from this study suggest that dispersant efficacy results from the adopted BFT test and the currently used protocol are in a similar range and results presented by the US EPA. As a result, the transition to the adopted BFT test will require minimal changes in the assessment of the results or reporting and increase harmonisation between tests used in the UK and North America.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish from St Helena, South Atlantic, in relation to an historic wreck.

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in edible tissues of fish species consumed by the islanders of St Helena to assess any risk to human health posed by oil leaking from an historic wreck. Samples were collected from the vicinity of the wreck site and at two reference locations at which fishing activity occurs. Summed PAH concentrations ranged from 2.2 to 20 µg kg(-1) wet weight, and no PAHs with more than 4 fused rings were detected. All concentrations of the four PAH used as a basis for assessment in relation to health risks to human consumers of foods within the EU (benz[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and chrysene) were<0.1 µg kg(-1) wet weight and raised no concerns. Additionally, concentrations were calculated as the benzo[a]pyrene toxic equivalency quotient and found to be well below the level of concern (0 to 0.05 µg kg(-1) wet weight benzo[a]pyrene equivalents).

The principles of effective post-spill environmental monitoring in marine environments and their application to preparedness assessment.

Understanding the fate and effects of marine spills is essential if the scientific and response communities are to develop best practices. The effective deployment of environmental monitoring activity can be complex and requires planning and coordination but the levels of preparedness to deliver the necessary expertise, coordination and funding are often low. This paper identifies and describes the importance of 8 principles of effective post-spill monitoring programmes. These principles are then used in the assessment of monitoring preparedness through the generation of a monitoring preparedness assessment score (MPAS). This approach can be used by local, regional or national authorities to establish the level of preparedness for environmental monitoring and prioritise areas for improvement. It also has value to responders, policy makers, environmental scientists and planners as a tool to assess preparedness and capability for specific scenarios. The approach is demonstrated through the assessment of previous incidents and potential future scenarios.

Towards a scheme of toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for the acute toxicity of PAHs in sediment.

Toxic equivalency factors/quotients (TEF/TEQs) express the toxicity of complex mixtures. For PAHs, TEF values are available for assessing their carcinogenic potential and are expressed as benzo[a]pyrene equivalents. This study develops a similar approach for their acute toxicity in sediments. Acute toxicity (10 day EC50) values were generated using the marine amphipod Corophium volutator bioassay for twelve low molecular weight PAHs. The results ranged from 24 to > 1000 mg/Kg sediment dry weight for 4-methyldibenzothiophene and anthracene, respectively. Phenanthrene was used as the reference compound (TEF=1) and so the TEQ values derived are expressed as phenanthrene equivalents. In order to illustrate the applicability of this approach to the development of marine indicators we plotted TEQ values for acute toxicity to UK environmental monitoring data. Further work is required to validate the TEF values produced and to extend the TEQ approach to include a wider range of low molecular weight PAHs.

Accidental spills at sea--risk, impact, mitigation and the need for co-ordinated post-incident monitoring.

A fully integrated and effective response to an oil or chemical spill at sea must include a well planned and executed post-incident assessment of environmental contamination and damage. While salvage, rescue and clean-up operations are generally well considered, including reviews and exercises, the expertise, resources, networks and logistical planning required to achieve prompt and effective post-spill impact assessment and monitoring are not generally well established. The arrangement and co-ordination of post-incident monitoring and impact assessment need to consider sampling design, biological effects, chemical analysis and collection/interpretation of expert local knowledge. This paper discusses the risks, impacts and mitigation options associated with accidental spills and considers the importance of pre-considered impact assessment and monitoring programmes in the wider response cycle. The PREMIAM (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring; www.premiam.org) project is considered as an example of an improved approach to the planning, co-ordination and conduct of post-incident monitoring.

Oil spill treatment products approval: the UK approach and potential application to the Gulf region.

The environmental threat from oil spills remains significant across the globe and particularly in regions of high oil production and transport such as the Gulf. The ultimate damage caused can be limited by mitigation actions that responders deploy. The responsible and appropriate use of oil spill treatment products (e.g. dispersants, sorbents etc.) can offer response options that can result in substantial net environmental benefit. However, the approval and choice of what products to use needs careful consideration. The United Kingdom has had in place a statutory approval scheme for oil spill treatment products for 30 years. It is based on measures of efficiency and environmental acceptability. Two toxicity tests form an integral part of the assessment, the Sea test and the Rocky Shore test, and work on the premise that approved products will not make the situation significantly worse when added to spilled oil. This paper outlines the UK approach and how its rationale might be applied to the approval of products specific for the Gulf region. Issues such as species choice, higher temperatures and salinity and regional environmental conditions are considered.

The use of chemical dispersants to combat oil spills at sea: A review of practice and research needs in Europe.

In order to better understand the practice of dispersant use, a review has been undertaken of marine oil spills over a 10 year period (1995-2005), looking in particular at variations between different regions and oil-types. This viewpoint presents and analyses the review data and examines a range of dispersant use policies. The paper also discusses the need for a reasoned approach to dispersant use and introduces past cases and studies to highlight lessons learned over the past ten years, focussing on dispersant effectiveness and monitoring; toxicity and environmental effects; the use of dispersants in low salinity waters; response planning and future research needs.

Relationship between sex steroid and vitellogenin concentrations in flounder (Platichthys flesus) sampled from an estuary contaminated with estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds.

High concentrations of vitellogenin (VTG; egg yolk protein) have previously been found in male flounder (Platichthys flesus) from several UK estuaries; these levels have been ascribed to the presence of estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Gonadal abnormalities, including intersex, have also been recorded in these estuaries. However, there is no firm evidence to date that these two findings are causally linked or that the presence of estrogenic EDCs has any adverse population effects. In the present study, we examined the relationship between concentrations of VTG and sex steroids (11-oxo-testosterone in males and 17beta-estradiol in females) in specimens of flounder captured from the estuary of the River Mersey. We first questioned whether the high concentrations of VTG in male and immature female flounder were indeed caused by a direct effect of exogenous EDCs and not indirectly via the endogenous secretion of 17beta-estradiol. The data favored the direct involvement of estrogenic EDCs. We then questioned whether the presence of estrogenic EDCs not only stimulated inappropriate VTG synthesis but whether it might also have had a negative effect on endogenous steroid secretion. It should be noted that the predicted consequences of a drop in steroid secretion include smaller gonads, smaller oocytes, fewer numbers of sperm, and depressed spawning behavior. This question was more difficult to answer because of the strong effect of the seasonal reproductive cycle and stage of maturation on steroid concentrations. However, matched by month of capture and stage of maturation, both 17beta-estradiol in females and 11-keto-testosterone in males were in most cases significantly lower in those years when VTG concentrations were higher.

Surveys of plasma vitellogenin and intersex in male flounder (Platichthys flesus) as measures of endocrine disruption by estrogenic contamination in United Kingdom estuaries: temporal trends, 1996 to 2001.

Plasma vitellogenin (VTG) concentrations and the presence of the ovo-testis (intersex) condition have been recorded in male flounder (Platichthys flesus) captured from several United Kingdom (UK) estuaries since 1996 as part of the endocrine disruption in the Marine Environment (EDMAR) project and earlier programs. It has been confirmed that plasma VTG concentrations in male flounder have remained elevated in several UK estuaries (e.g., Tees, Mersey, and Tyne) throughout the period covered by this study. However, the time-series data indicate that plasma VTG, a measure of environmental estrogen contamination, has decreased in fish captured from several estuaries, especially those of the Tyne and Mersey. Shorter time-series data sets from the Forth and Clyde estuaries also suggest a decrease in estrogen contamination at these sites. Trends associated with specific point sources of estrogenic contamination show site-specific patterns. For instance, plasma VTG levels in male flounder captured near the Howdon sewage treatment outfall (Tyne) have shown a steady decline to near baseline levels in 2001, while the plasma of male fish captured at a site adjacent to the Dabholm Gut discharge in the Tees estuary have shown little evidence of a sustained decline. The occurrence of the intersex condition was detected at a low but consistent prevalence through the study period, with the majority of cases recorded in fish captured from the Tyne and Mersey estuaries. The data set does not allow conclusions to be drawn about any temporal trends associated with this condition. The significance of the findings and possible mitigating influences are discussed in terms of the impacts on wild fish and the role of effluent treatment in reducing these.

Kinetics of vitellogenin protein and mRNA induction and depuration in fish following laboratory and environmental exposure to oestrogens.

Plaice, flounder and sand goby were exposed to ethynylestradiol (EE2) for 21 days and then followed for up to 31 days after removal of the oestrogen. Plasma vitellogenin (VTG) and hepatic VTG mRNA were determined in groups of fish sampled during the induction and post-exposure phases. VTG mRNA increased slightly earlier than plasma protein, but both reached maxima by 21 days. In contrast, VTG mRNA decayed much more rapidly than protein after EE2 exposure was terminated (typical values t(1/2) mRNA 3 days, protein 15-30 days). Vitellogenin and VTG mRNA thus measure different temporal events and this is illustrated by field data of male flounder in which both parameters have been determined. Few fish show co-ordinate increased VTG mRNA and vitellogenin but rather more fish have increased vitellogenin. Low level increases of VTG mRNA (5 X) is observed in some fish without increased vitellogenin and this may represent polymorphic differences between individual fish.

The presence of morphologically intermediate papilla syndrome in United Kingdom populations of sand goby (Pomatoschistus spp): endocrine disruption?

The sand goby (Pomatoschistus spp.) is a small estuarine fish. Its abundance, life history, and sedentary nature lead to its adoption as a key species in the U.K. Endocrine Disruption in the Marine Environment (EDMAR) Program. This study investigated the presence of classic markers of estrogenic exposure by determining vitellogenin (VTG) and zona radiata protein (ZRP) mRNA levels and ovotestis in estuarine-caught male gobies and investigated morphological changes in the urogenital papilla (UGP). Laboratory exposures to estrogens were also conducted to ascertain the responses of these markers. Wild-caught male fish showed no evidence of ovotestis, VTG, or ZRP mRNA induction. Laboratory exposures suggested that sensitivity of the goby to VTG/ ZRP mRNA induction was similar to flounder. The UGP inspection of wild-caught specimens revealed evidence of feminization of male papillae, a condition denoted as morphologically intermediate papilla syndrome (MIPS). Morphologically intermediate papilla syndrome was more prevalent at estrogenically contaminated sites. Juvenile goby experimentally exposed to 17beta-estradiol for 11 to 32 weeks exhibited signs of the MIPS condition, showing that it was inducible by estrogenic exposure and could therefore be a form of estrogenic endocrine disruption. The estuaries where the MIPS condition was most prevalent (>50% at certain sites) were the Tees, Mersey, and Clyde. The potential of the MIPS condition to significantly interfere with reproductive performance is discussed as well as its use as a monitoring tool for endocrine disruption in the estuarine environment.