Oral Presentation Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Australasia 2021

Bioavailability of petroleum scale-associated contaminants to juvenile tiger prawns   (#56)

Amy MacIntosh 1 2 , Katherine Dafforn 1 , Anthony Chariton 1 , Tom Cresswell 2
  1. School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. NSTLI Environment, ANSTO, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Successful decommissioning of subsea oil and gas infrastructure requires an effective and safe approach of assessing and managing chemical and radiological waste. In Australia, naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) that can occur in pipeline scale have been recognised as an emerging environmental issue. Understanding the bioavailability and environmental effects associated with scale contaminants on Australian marine fauna has not been adequately addressed. Major gaps exist in understanding the mobility and bioaccumulation potential of NORM scale by Australian marine organisms. Therefore, further research is required to investigate the short- and long-term ecological effects of NORM bioavailability. This study is the first to investigate the bioavailability of NORM radionuclides and other trace metals to Australian marine fauna from marine pipeline scale. The project is at the forefront of marine ecotoxicological research and provides global knowledge on marine radioecology interactions of NORM associated with the petroleum industry. In order to assess the bioavailability, organism-contaminant dietary assays were conducted on juvenile tiger prawns, as a representative of an exposed benthic organism. Tissue and digestive organ samples were analysed for trace metals including, copper, chromium and lead, and accumulated radionuclides (226Ra, 210Pb, 210Po, 228Ra and 228Th). Preliminary bioaccumulation data for sublethal exposure to a sensitive species representing an Australian marine invertebrate, created for a site-specific ecosystem will be presented. Results will assist to establish the appropriate decommissioning strategies for offshore Australian oil and gas operations by conducting exposure-dose toxicity testing to exposed species of marine life.