Influence of Dispersants on the Bioavailability of Naphthalene from the Water-Accommodated Fraction Crude Oil to the Golden-Brown Algae, Isochrysis galbana

The golden-brown algae Isochrysis galbana, a primary producer, was used to determine the influence of the chemical dispersing agent, Corexit 9527((R)), on the bioavailability of naphthalene. Cells were exposed to laboratory preparations of either the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of Prudhoe Bay crude oil (PBCO) or a dispersed oil (DO) mixture of PBCO and Corexit 9527 spiked with [U-14C]naphthalene. Uptake was determined by the amount of algae-associated [14C]. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) co-chromatography was used to fractionate and identify metabolic products. A 24-h bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was calculated in the absence of steady state. The presence of Corexit 9527, had significant influence (p = 0.001) on the uptake of naphthalene, but no significant effect on the 24-h BAF (BAF: 168 and 180 from WAF and DO, respectively), or metabolic fate of naphthalene in I. galbana. Results of this research indicate that dispersants have the potential to increase organismal exposure to certain petroleum hydrocarbons without increasing their aqueous concentration.