The Toxicity to Fish Embryos of PAH in Crude and Refined Oils

Oil spills are a potential threat to the recruitment and production of fish. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), particularly 3-5-ringed alkyl PAH, are components of oil that cause chronic embryotoxicity. Toxicity is related to molecular size and octanol-water partition coefficients (Kow), indicating that water-lipid partitioning controls exposure and tissue dose. Nevertheless, more than 25% of the variation in toxicity among congeners is unexplained. Congeners with the same number of rings, alkyl carbon atoms, and Kow, but different molecular shapes, have markedly different toxicities, likely due to differences in interactions with cellular receptors. The potentiation and antagonism of metabolism and toxicity in PAH mixtures suggest that measured effect concentrations for individual PAH are conservative. Because mixture interactions are not well understood, total PAH concentrations > 0.1 mu g/L following oil spills should be considered hazardous.