331 



Direct kill throug-h contact poisoning of organisms. 



Direct kill through exi)osure to the water-soluble toxic components of oil at 

 some distance in space and time from the accident. 



Destruction of the generally more sensitive juvenile forms of organisms. 



Destruction of the food sources of higher species. 



Incoi"i)oration of sublethal amounts of oil and oil products into organisms 

 resulting in reduced resistance to infection and other stresses (the principal 

 cau.se of death in birds surviving the immediate exposure to oil). 



Incorporation of caix'inogenic and potentially mutagenic chemicals into marine 

 organisms. 



Low level effects that may interrupt any of the numerous events necessary 

 for the propagation of marine species and for the survival of those species which 

 stand higher in the marine food web. 



A recent technical conference in Rome, Italy, on the subject of marine pollu- 

 tion and its effects on living marine resources and fishing (FAO, 1970) provide<l 

 the following summary : 



"Crude petroleimi is a complex mixture of natural products and includes many 

 thousands of different compounds. Although crude oils differ marke<lly in their 

 physical proi)erties, the basic chemical, biological, and toxicological proi^erties 

 of crude oil are quite similar. Petroleum and its hydrocarbons have been found 

 to be remarkably stable in the marine environment. Although hydrocarbons that 

 are dissolved in the water column are eventually destroyed by bacteria, the most 

 toxic comix)unds are the ones that are the most refractory." 



"The immediate short-term effects of oil pollution are rather obvious. How- 

 ever, some of the most serious aspects of oil pollution deal with the low-level 

 toxic effects, particularly on young forms of marine animals. The great com- 

 plexity of the marine organisms present a potentially dangerous situation which 

 may adversely affect our fisheries resources. Hydrocarbons may not only be re- 

 taine<l. but they may also be concentrated and become protein bound. Thus, 

 petroleum may contribute to the destruction of food values through the in- 

 corporation of oil and oil products into fisheries resources." 



REFERENCES CITED 



Arthur, D. R., 1968, The biological problems of littoral iM)nution by oil and 

 emul.sifiers — A summing up: in Carthy and Arthur (Eds.): The biological 

 effects of oil pollution on littoral communities, pp. 1.59 — 1(54. 



Baker, .1. M.. 1971, The effects of oil on plants; Environ. Pollut, 1(1) : 27-44. 



Barber, F. G., 1971. An oiled arctic shore, Arctic 24 :3. 



Battelle Memorial Institute, 1967, Oil spillage study ; literature search and 

 critical evaluation for selection of promising techniques to control and prevent 

 damage; 8 .section including l>iological and ecological effects, Dept. Commerce 

 Clearinghou.se for Scien, and Tech. Information. 



Blumer, Max, 1969. Oil pollution of the ocean in Oil on the Sea, David P. Hoult, 

 ed., pp. 5-13. Plenum Press. 



, 1970, Scientific aspects of the oil spill problem : Pre.sented at NATO 



Conference, Brussels. Nov. 6, 1970. 21 pp., niimeo, Woods Hole Oceanographic 

 Institute, AVoods Hole, Mass. 



Blumer, M.. Sanders, H. L., Grassle, J. F., and Man.son, G. R., 1971, A small 

 oi' spill : Environment, 13 :2. 



Blumer, M., Sass. .!.. Souza, G., Sanders. H., Gra.ssle, F., and Hampsan, G., 

 1970, The AVest Falmouth oil spill: Ref. Xo. 70-44, 32 pp., 18 fig., mimeo. 

 Unpub. ms. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, Mas.s. 



Blumer, M.. Sou'^a. G.. and Sass. .T.. 1970 Hydrocarbon pollution of edible shell- 

 fish by an oil spill : Mar. Biol. ,5 :19.")-202. 



C^ark. R. C.. Jr., 1966, Occurrence of normal parafl^n hydrocarbons in nature. 

 Technical Report 66-.34. Woorls Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 

 Ma.ss.. r)6 pp. (processed). 



Clark, R. C, .Tr. and Blumer, M.. 1967, Distribution of N-paraffins in marine or- 

 ganisms and sediment : Limno. Oceanog. 12 :79-87. 



Coneiand, B. .7. 1970, E«tuarin" clarification and re.sponses to disturbances: 

 Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 99(4) :826-8,3."). 



Corner. E. D. S.. Southward, A. I., and Southward. E. C. 1968. Toxicity of oil 

 sTiill removers ('Detergents') to marine life : An assessment using the intertidal 

 barnacle Elnihiius modc.itii.t: ,7our. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK 48:29-47. 



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