ScienceDaily (Jan. 17, 2008) — Like the proverbial coal miners' canary-in-the-cage, seagulls may become living sentinels to monitor oil pollution levels in marine environments, report scientists in Spain. 

In the study, Alberto Velando and colleagues note that researchers have known for years that large oil spills can increase levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine environments.

Studies have linked these compounds to cancer in humans. While oil spills quickly kill large numbers of seabirds and other animals, scientists do not fully understand the non-lethal biological effects of these spills, the Spanish researchers say.

The researchers measured PAH levels in the blood of Yellow-legged gulls living in the vicinity of the oil spill caused by the 2002 shipwreck of the Prestige, one of Europe's largest oil spills.

Gulls exposed to the oil showed twice the levels of PAHs in their blood than unexposed birds, even though these levels were measured 17 months after the initial spill, the researchers say. The findings "give support to the nondestructive use of seabirds as biomonitors of oil pollution in marine environments," the article states.

The study "Monitoring Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Pollution in Marine Environment after the Prestige Oil Spill by Means of Seabird Blood Analysis" is scheduled for the Feb. 1 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology.

enlarge

Seagull blood shows promise for monitoring pollutants from oil spills in marine environments. (Credit: Courtesy of Alberto Velando, Universidade de Vigo, Spain)

Related Stories

Oil Spill Clean-up Agents Threaten Coral Reefs (July 31, 2007) — In a setback for efforts to protect endangered coral reefs from oil spills, researchers report that oil dispersants -- the best tool for treating oil spills in tropical areas --are significantly more ...  > read more

Oil Spills And Climate Change Double The Mortality Rate Of British Seabirds (Oct. 14, 2005) — New research from the University of Sheffield shows for the first time that major oil spills double the mortality rate of British sea birds, even though the pollution occurs hundred of miles from the ...  > read more

Coal Tar-based Pavement Sealers Implicated As A Source Of Urban Water Pollution (Feb. 13, 2007) — A water pollution episode in Austin, Texas, is raising questions about the environmental impact of coal tar-based sealants used on thousands of parking lots throughout the United States, according to ...  > read more

A Hope For Oil Spill Bioremediation (May 17, 2005) — A recently published article in Environmental Microbiology reveals that indigenous microbiota of the Galician shore is readily able to degrade crude oil. Scientists from the Estación ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Cleaning Up Our Water