Water accommodated fractions (WAFs) were created from MC252 surrogate oil in sterile seawater upon exposure to natural sunlight using various optical color and spectral filters. Acidic and basic water soluble species were extracted and relative toxicity effects determined as a measure of bacterial growth inhibition using 3H-leucine incorporation in naturally occurring marine bacterial communities from the northern Gulf of Mexico. The basic species produced under exposure to a red filter showed greatest toxicity indicating that the longest wavelength of light is responsible for its formation. Acidic species tested showed samples created during exposure to a yellow filter had the greatest toxicity. These results indicate that regions of the visible spectrum contribute significantly to the formation of toxic species from oil.

Biological toxicity of extracts from photochemically degraded crude oil water accommodated fractions

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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