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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 55 (Papers)

Risk analysis of chemical oil dispersants on the Australian register

Sharon Hook A and Kenneth Lee A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere

The APPEA Journal 55(1) 393-398 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ14033
Published: 2015

Abstract

Following an oil spill at sea, decision-making for the appropriate spill response option(s), including chemical oil dispersant use, is largely based on the results of a net environmental benefit analysis (NEBA). This decision process requires knowledge of the behaviour, transport, fate and effects of the residual oil to minimise the overall environmental impacts of the spill and its subsequent clean-up operations.

In considering oil dispersant use, assessors need information about the influence a chemical dispersant has on the rates of oil biodegradation and whether the dispersant adds to the toxicity of the oil, either by making the oil constituents more bioavailable or through the toxicity of the dispersant itself.

Though many studies have recently been conducted on Corexit, the dispersant used in the US following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the chemical formulations of the dispersants for future use in Australia are anticipated to differ, and th s toxicological effects and impacts on biodegradation may be different.

To support NEBA-based decision-making in Australia, there is a need for toxicity studies on the dispersants approved for regional use.

This peer-reviewed paper discusses the important factors for consideration in future toxicity studies such as: the type of oil expected to be spilled; influence on the bioavailability and biodegradation potential of the oil; the sensitivity of regional species at various trophic levels and life stages; and, environmentally relevant exposure conditions.

Sharon Hook is a Senior Ecotoxicologist for the aquatic ecotoxicology group at CSIRO’s Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research (Lucas Heights, Sydney). She has more than 20 years of experience in aquatic ecotoxicology and oceanography, particularly in the development and application of emerging molecular genomics approaches and biomarker-based research.

Sharon also has expertise in evaluating the influence of exposure routes on toxicological response. Her research interests include applying modern microarray and other RNA-based approaches to environmental problems, determining the impacts of low-level, long-term toxic responses, and the design and implementation of toxicity testing.

Sharon has worked with a vast array of environmental contaminants, including metals, oil and pesticides, and with a variety of taxa, from bacteria to fish. She has been involved in the risk assessments following several oil spills, including the Exxon Valdez, the Selendag Ayu (both prior to joining CSIRO), and the Montara well releases.

Sharon has authored or co-authored 30 scientific publications and more than 25 technical reports (as part of CSIRO and other agencies), and has a Web of Science (formerly ISI Web of Knowledge) score of 14.

Sharon has a PhD (Coastal Oceanography) from Stony Brook University (New York, US) and a BA (Biological Sciences, Honours) from Smith College (Massachusetts, US).

Member: the Society of Environmental Toxicologists and Chemists (SETAC).

Ken Lee is the Director of the CSIRO’s Oceans and Atmosphere National Research Flagship. He has more than 35 years’ experience working in the field of aquatic science, and is the author of more than 350 academic and technical publications.

Ken has acted as a science advisor to senior officials in government, industry and academia that have influenced national policies, regulations, international standards and governance for the protection of the marine environment. Since 2001 he is (or has been) a representative on more than 40 international and national committees.

Prior to joining the CSIRO in April 2013, Ken was the foundation Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research (COOGER), a national Centre of Expertise (COE) in Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This organisation was responsible for the identification of priority research needs, and the coordination and implementation of collaborative national and international research programs with government and academia to provide scientific knowledge and advice pertaining to the potential environmental impacts associated with the expansion of activities by the offshore oil and gas, and ocean renewable energy sectors.

Essential Science Indicators (ScienceWatch.com) has identified Ken as one of the top 10 scientists in oil spill research during the previous decade, based on total papers and citations.

Ken recently served on two US National Research Council/National Academy of Science Committees tasked to address:

  1. ecosystem services damage as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; and,

  2. oil spill responses in the Arctic marine environment.

Ken has a PhD (Microbial Ecology) and MSc (Limnology) from the University of Toronto, and a BSc (Biology) from Dalhousie University.

He was awarded the Prix d’Excellence—Science (Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s award for exemplary contributions), and the Federal Partners in Technology Transfer Leadership Award (for the transfer of technology from federal research laboratories to the private sector).