Toxicologic pathology
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Toxicologic pathology · Jan 2012
ReviewEcological impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill: implications for immunotoxicity.
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in U. S. history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oil spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep-ocean communities and over 1,600 kilometers of shoreline. ⋯ The assessment of injuries, damages, and restoration options for the DWH spill is ongoing. Although petroleum and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon component of oils are known to affect the immune systems of aquatic organisms and wildlife, immunotoxicity is not typically assessed during oil spills and has not been a focus of the DHW assessment. The effects of oil spill contaminants on immune responses are variable and often exposure dependent, but immunotoxic effects seem likely from the DHW spill based on the reported effects of a variety of oils on both aquatic and wildlife species.