The Erika oil spill:laboratory studies conducted to assist responders

摘要

Immediately following the Erika oil spill, responders raised many questions concerning the identification of the fuel oil,its behavior in the water column,and physical properties,potential toxicity,environmental impacts,and the feasibility of various countermeasures to treat the spill.Several laboratories in France conducted simultaneous complementary investigations.The Laboratoire d'Analyse de Surveillance et d'Expertise de la Marine (LASEM) performed oil analyses of various samples collected at sea and on the shore for identification as well as for confirming the oil drifting predictions.The CEntre de Documentation de Recherche et d'Experimentations sur les pollutions accidentelles des eaux (CEDRE) studied oil behavior and its physical properties under realistic conditions in its flume test canal to predict the evolution of the product spilled at sea.Simultaneously,the Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP) and the Laboratoire de Physico-Toxico Chimie des systemes naturels (LPTC) carried out oil chemical analyses of the polyaromatic compounds and the water accommodated fractions for environmental risk assessments.Finally,Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) investigated the possibility for oil biodegradation through laboratory experiments.This experimental information was of great interest for response operations. Field observations validated laboratory predictions,especially those concerning physical properties.