Sunlight and oil spills may make deadly combination for wildlife

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/w-sao112116.php

Public Release: 21-Nov-2016
Sunlight and oil spills may make deadly combination for wildlife
Wiley

Contaminants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from oil spills can be toxic to wildlife, especially when in combination with ultraviolet radiation from the sun. New research on species native to the Gulf of Mexico indicates that, compared with oil exposure alone, co-exposure to oil and natural sunlight reduces survival rates of fish that spend time close to the surface in their larval stage.

"Many marine and estuarine fish eggs and early larva develop at or near the water surface, which is where oil floats and the sun shines. When all three co-occur, the potential for toxicity greatly increases," said Dr. Matthew Alloy, lead author of the Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry study.

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