Effect of Bioremediation on the Mutagenicity of Oil Spilled in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

摘要

On 24 March 1989 approximately 11 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil spilled into the waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska, ultimately contaminating nearly 1,000 miles of shoreline. Approximately 300 miles of contaminated beach were considered amenable to cleanup by bioremediation. To determine whether or not bioremediation would be effective in such climatic conditions (geophysical conditions) and to identify potential deleterious effects, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted one of the world's largest in situ bioremediation field demonstration research projects. One of the methods used to assess potential health effects associated with this and similar efforts was the examination of mutagenicity associated with the oil spill and the products of bioremediation. The mutagenicity of organic samples collected from the contaminated beaches declined (was reduced) over time by both enhanced and natural bioremediation.