May 20, 1996 Contact: Amy Adams or Robert Irion (408) 459-2495; irion@ua.ucsc.edu

UC SANTA CRUZ TOXICOLOGIST HELPS REDUCE THE DEADLY EFFECTS OF OIL SPILLS ON UNDERWATER LIFE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--Oil tankers traveling through California waters pose a grim threat to marine organisms, for which an accidental oil spill could mean death. Most public attention focuses on slippery surface oils that coat the fur of marine mammals and the feathers of seabirds in a deadly black goo. But some little-noticed oil also trickles down into the home of fish and shellfish, killing off these less-visible ocean inhabitants.

UC Santa Cruz researcher Ronald Tjeerdema and his team study the chemistry and effects of this sinking oil on fish, shellfish, and their larvae. Larvae are especially critical, since they are both most sensitive to toxins and also critical for the future of the species. An entire generation of fish could be eliminated by the rarely mentioned and hardly understood dissolved oils and their tiny droplets. Tjeerdema's work will help oil-response crews choose the best way to clean a spill, minimizing the impact on fragile underwater organisms.

"We are basically putting together a Cliff's Notes for Oil-Spill Response," says Tjeerdema, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a board-certified toxicologist. His work could save fish from dissolved oil clogging their gills or causing neurological problems "that would make them behave as through they were drunk," he says. "What we want to do is compile a manual that we can give to oil-spill responders."

Chevron recently gave Tjeerdema a $45,000 gift to support his research. Michael Ammann, environmental specialist in ecology for Chevron, selected Tjeerdema because "he and the group he coordinates are on the cutting edge of applied research on the toxicity of oil and dispersants." Ammann hopes this will be a long- term collaboration.

Tjeerdema's work focuses on twenty crude oils commonly transported through California waters. In his lab at Granite Canyon, south of Carmel, his research team studies the deadly effects of both oils and oil-cleaning agents on two species of larval fish. His team has found that different combinations of oils and detergents have varying effects on larvae, but in general the detergents themselves become less toxic when combined with oil.

Chemical sprays used to remove surface oils not only are toxic to underwater organisms, but also help surface oil leach down into the water. From the surface, the spill looks cleaned. However, Tjeerdema says, "You don't hear about the stuff that dissolves in water and kills fish and other marine animals."

Oil-response teams look at the major organisms in the area of a spill, then pick a cleaning strategy best for that environment. "They try to project the least impact on the most-sensitive species," Tjeerdema says. Where marine mammals or birds are important, they use a cleaning agent that quickly eliminates surface oil, but where fish or shellfish are more critical, they use a spray that will be less toxic and not allow oil to mix in the water.

The informational manual will list both the chemical properties and toxicity for each of the different oil types transported through California--mainly from Alaska and the Middle East, plus California crude oil--as well as the toxicities generated when different cleaning agents drop oil beneath the surface. With Tjeerdema's information, oil-response crews can pick a cleaning agent that is the least toxic with the type of oil spilled.

Every year, thousands of oil spills occur in California waters. "A few gallons here, a few gallons there," says Tjeerdema, "but most of these are mom-and-pop spills." Major spills occur only once every three to five years. Any agency or individual who spills oil is required to report it to the Coast Guard, which then calls in the California Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response. Between them- they decide on the best cleaning strategy.

Editor's note: You may reach Tjeerdema at (408) 459-2917 or tjeerdem@hydrogen.ucsc.edu

This release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist.html) or via modem from UC News Wire (209/244-6971).

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