Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

FINAL REPORT
on
BAFFIN ISLAND EXPERIMENTAL OIL SPILL
AND DISPERSANT STUDIES. HYDROCARBON
BIOACCUMULATION AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL
AND BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSES IN
MARINE BIVALVE MOLLUSCS
to
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
OCSEAP PROGRAM OFFICE
Box 1808
Juneau, Alaska 99802
from
BATTELLE
New England Marine Research Laboratory
397 Washington Street
Duxbury, Massachusetts 02332
February 1, 1984
1. INTRODUCTION
More than 10,000 tons of chemical dispersant were used to clean the coast of
Cornwall, England of Kuwait crude oil following the Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967. It is
now generally agreed that the dispersant caused more damage to the intertidal fauna and
flora than did the oil itself (Southward and Southward, 1978). The most frequently used
dispersant during the Torrey Canyon cleanup contained 12% nonionic surfactant and 3%
stabilizer in a high aromatic solvent (kerosene extract). This mixture was highly toxic to
nearly all forms of marine life. Because of the disasterous consequences of dispersant use
in this and a few other spills, use of chemical dispersants for oil spill cleanup fell into
disfavor. Relatively little dispersant was used after the Amoco Cadiz spill and none was
used for shoreline cleaning.
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