Session: Aquatic Photochemistry:

As a growing amount of petroleum products are introduced into the environment, there has been renewed interest in the effects these compounds have on biological systems. To help assess the overall impact of petroleum on the ecosystem, photochemical reactions must be considered to better understand environmental toxicity. Water accommodated fractions (WAFs) made of water and motor oil are commonly used to mimic environmental conditions when an oil species is introduced into an ecosystem. Over time, water soluble species from the oil fraction partition into the water phase of the WAF. The photochemical reactivity of the resulting water-soluble species can then be examined. This study examined photochemically produced hydroxy radical (OH) from motor oil derived, water soluble species using UV-HPLC detection and toxicity when measured by bacterial growth using 3H-leucine incorporation. For example, a 10W-30 motor oil synthetic blend had greater OH production of 0.97 nM/s and higher toxicity compared to other non-detergent single viscosity blend motor oils (0.61 + 0.08 nM/s). By expanding our examination to other motor oils, a better understanding of photochemically induced toxicity can be achieved.

Pamela Benz

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