PB89-124754

BIOLOGICAL REPORT 88(15)AUGUST 1988

INTERPRETING RESIDUES OFPETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN

WILDLIFE TISSUES

~...'.'~"'"~...

.:;:.: ;-

'/"""'''''~;·'V''i''''''i'''''VWi'WV'S;i'iiM; REPRODUCED BY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Fish and Wildlife Service ~~~:~~~rE[6~~ZI~:}6~NFORMATIONSERVICE

U.S. Department of the Interior

La\Ilj~.~

Q"...

oJ··-

Biological Report

This publication series of the Fish and Wildlife Service comprises reports on the results of research,developments in technology, and ecological surveys and inventories of effects of land-use changes on ftshery andwildlife resources. They may include proceedings of workshops, technical conferences, or symposia; andinterpretive bibliographies. They also include resource and wetland inventory maps.

Copies of this publication may be obtained from the Publications Unit, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, Washington, DC 20240, Or may be purchased from the National Technical InformationService (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hall, Russell James, 1943-Interpreting residues of petroleum hydrocarbons in

wildlife tissues.

(Biological report; 88(15»"August 1988."Supt. of Docs. no.: I 49.89/2:88(15)1. Oil pollution of rivers, harbors, etc.-

Environmental aspects. 2. Petroleum chemicals­Environmental aspects. 3. Petroleum chemicals - Analysis.4. Hydrocarbons-Environmental aspects. 5. Hydro­carbons-Analysis. I. Coon, Nancy C. II. Title.III. Series: Biological report (Washington, p.e.) ;88-15.OH545.05H35 1988 591.2'4 &W>00320

This report may be cited as follows:

Hall, R. J., and N. e. Coon. 1988. Interpreting residues of petroleum hydrocarbons in wildlife tissues. U.S. FishWildt. Serv., Bioi. Rep. 88(15). 8 pp.

Biological Report 88(15)August 1988

Interpreting Residues of

Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Wildlife Tissues

by

Russell J. Hall and Nancy C. Coon

u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Laurel, MD 20708

Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Washington, DC 20240

Preface

This publication is the first of its kind in the field of evaluation of environmental contaminant effects on wildlife.Other publications have summarized the data generated by research or surveys and have attempted to do so in away that would make the information more accessible to field biologists. As the first "how to" product in thecontaminant area, this paper goes one step further in providing guidelines for the interpretation of analyticalchemical results.

We are interested in getting reader reaction to this publication.

1/

Acknowledgments

The manuscript was reviewed by Drs. Martha L. Gay and Peter H. Albers, both of whom offered valuablesuggestions for its improvement. Nancy A. Bushby and her staff in the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Sectionof Information Management, especially Julia Armstrong, helped in various ways. Patricia A. McDonald assistedwith manuscript preparation.

iii

Contents

Page

Preface iiAcknowledgments iiiIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1Sampling and Handling 1

Controls 1Pollutants 1Choice of Materials and Tissues 1Handling 1

Reports and Interpretation 2Presence of Aromatics 2

Total Resolved Hydrocarbons . . . . . . . .. 2Dominance of High Molecular Weight Compounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2Pristane and Phytane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3Dominance of Odd-numbered Hydrocarbons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3

In What Circumstances Should Analysis Be Requested? 3How Much Oil in Tissues is Harmful to Wildlife? 3Literature Cited 4

Preced'lng page blankv

Introduction

Pollutant oils are frequent contaminants of wildlifehabitats, and they are often ingested by wild birds andother higher vertebrates. Despite the frequency ofexposure of wildlife to petroleum pollutants and aproven analytical technology (Gay et al. 1980), attemptsare seldom made to detect these materials in tissues.Once ingested by animals, petroleum hydrocarbons aremetabolized and tend to mix with the many similarcompounds normally present in tissues. Chemicalanalysis of normal and contaminated tissue shows thepresence of many of the same compounds and reportsgenerated from such analyses seem to defyinterpretation. A search of the literature during aninvestigation ofan oil spill (Hall et al.1983) revealed thatmeaningful conclusions can often be drawn from theseemingly incomprehensible analytical reports onereceives when tissues of birds or other highervertebrates are analyzed. Such conclusions have notoften been drawn, however, because guidelines for theinterpretation of residues have not been clearly statedand are not readily available. This report provides fieldbiologists with a guide that will help them assess impactson wildlife of oil pollution on the basis of chemicalanalyses.

In the late 1970's, Patuxent Wildlife Research Centerscientists undertook a major effort to assess the effectsof petroleum pollutants on wildlife (Stickel and Dieter1979). Biological effects were investigated and atechnology was developed to detect and quantify oilresidues in tissues. It was learned that oils are oftenacutely toxic when applied to eggs and that ingested oilproduces a variety of nonspecific, debilitatingconditions in adult birds. Birds can be killed or broughtto the brink of death by exposure to spilled oil, mostlyfrom the effects ofoiling offeathers. Animals consumingpetroleum, however, show few characteristic signs thatlink their debilitation or death to oil consumption otherthan oil residues in tissues. Consequently, chemicalanalysis of tissues can be an important tool indetermining ifbirds have consumed oil and in assessingthe damage or risk of damage to wildlife consumingpetroleum compounds in the environment.

Petroleum, either as crude oil or as refined products,consists of many compounds. Most analyticaltechniques that quantify oil in complex mixtures rely onanalysis of only a small number of characteristic orimportant compounds. The Patuxent Analytical ControlFacility (PACF), for example, routinely quantifies bygas chromatography or gas chromatography/massspectrometry only 23 of many possible compounds. Wehave based our discussion on the compounds quantifiedby the PACF and its contractors though there aredoubtless other combinations of compounds that mightprovide a useful basis of quantification.

1

Sampling and Handling

It is sometimes possible to draw conclusions on thebasis of a single sample, but interpretation is easier anda better evaluation can be made if additional materialsare collected.

ControlsAs for most contaminant evaluations, possession of

unexposed specimens from a clean area is important.Ideally, controls should be as nearly comparable toexposed animals as possible. Species, sex, age or size,time or collection, and condition should match closelyto ensure that observed differences indeed result fromcontamination.

PollutantsIt is often helpful to analyze samples of the pollutant

oils to compare with compounds found in tissues. Oilcan be collected from the source and analyzed for thispurpose, but the oil to which animals have actually beenexposed is often altered by weathering. Weatheringremoves volatile compounds and reduces theabundance of those that are easily broken down by theelements or metabolized by microorganisms. Oil in oron food - aquatic vegetation, for example - can beanalyzed in useful ways, as can oil removed by rinsingsmade of stomach contents or the external surface of anexposed animal.

Choice ofMaterials and TissuesPetroleum hydrocarbons accumulate in a variety of

animal tissues, including livers, kidneys, muscle, fat, andeggs. Whole carcasses should be skinned and digestivetracts removed to eliminate oil adhering to skin, hair, orfeathers, as well as that present in the gut cavity. Fat andeggs normally contain more lipids than other tissues,and can be a storage site for ingested petroleumhydrocarbons. Nevertheless, the presence or absence ofcertain compounds, the relations of the amounts ofothers, and the relative concentrations of compounds inexposed and control animals are the basis forconclusions regarding contamination. Consequently, itcannot be said that any particular tissue is superior toothers.

HandlingSamples should be treated the same as other materials

intended for analysis of organic contaminants. Extremecare should be exercised to ensure that external oil or oilin the gut is not transferred to tissues during dissection.Samples should be placed separately in glass jars, frozen,and shipped on dry ice. If too large for jars, they shouldbe wrapped completely in aluminum foil before beingpackaged in plastic- direct contact with plastics is to beavoided. Samples should be analyzed promptly. Albers et

al. (1985) believed that there was a 25% loss ofrecoverable hydrocarbons in oil field wastewater samplesstored for 6 months. Residues in tissue samples arebelieved to be much more stable.

Heavy oil ingestion by sea birds can result incharacteristic blood changes that can be identifiedmicroscopically (Leighton et al. 1983; Leighton 1985).Therefore, when exposed animals are found alive, it mightbe helpful to have blood drawn for hematological workbefore euthanasia. Animals that have undergonerehabilitation treatment probablyshould not be analyzed.

Reports and InterpretationReports received from the analytical laboratories

under contract to the PACF report analyses of 23compounds; these reports should look much like Figures1 and 2, which are reproductions of analytical reportsissued on specimens from a Patuxent feeding studyconducted some years ago. The left portion ofeach figuredepicts a sheet reporting 14 aliphatic compounds and theright side depicts the sheet reporting 9 aromaticcompounds. For each compound, the left column reportsthe total amount (~) recorded in the sample analyzed,in these instances a 5-g aliquot or portion of a largersample. The second column from the left converts thisamount to a per gram basis (~g), effectively expressingit on a parts per million (ppm) basis. The two rightcolumns (GC/MS and Comment) are reserved foradditional confirmations of the analyses, as when analysisis repeated using a different methodology. Compoundsnot detected in a sample are represented by a blankreporting box or by a dash entered in the space.Occasionally, "total resolved hydrocarbons" is reported orcalculated by the submitter; it consists of the sum of theamounts of all the analyzed hydrocarbons reported.

Figure 1 is the report of a control sample of twopooled mallard eggs, and Figure 2 is a pool of two eggslaid by a female mallard that consumed 25,000 ppm(2.5%) South Louisiana crude oil incorporated into thediet. Eggs tend to accumulate more petroleumhydrocarbons than some other tissues, but even so, theseexamples illustrate well some of the relations that permitinterpretation of residues.

Presence ofAromaticsThe aromatic compounds are not commonly found

in clean tissues and, when they are, tend to be presentin very small amounts. None were detected in the eggsof a control bird (Figure 1), but four compounds werefound in the eggs from a hen fed oil (Figure 2).

Total Resolved HydrocarbonsLess that 0.7 ppm of all analyzed hydrocarbons were

found in the control tissues (Figure 1), whereas nearly6 ppm of hydrocarbons were present in the exposed eggs(Figure 2). This nearly la-fold difference might be greaterthan normally seen in field samples, but total resolvedhydrocarbons can be a useful basis of comparison.

Dominance ofHigh Molecular

Weight CompoundsLow molecular weight hydrocarbons tend to be

metabolized more readily than longer chaincompounds, both by animals and by microorganisms inthe environment. The analytic results from a mallardkilled in an oil spill, probably reflect the effects ofweathering on spilled oil (Figure 3). Microorganisms,evaporation and photooxidation first remove the lowermolecular weight hydrocarbons. This episode is one in

Table 1. Ratios ofpristane andphytane to co"esponding compounds in selected matrices.

Ratios

Sample

(1) South Louisiana crude oil (SLCO)a

(2) Eggs from control mallard (Figure 1)

(3) Eggs from mallard fed SLCO (Figure 2)

(4) Fat from mallard killed by oil spill (Figure 3)

a From Belisle et al. 1981.

2

Pristane/n-c17

0.83

0.50

3.3

1.6

Phytane/n-c18

0.50

0.95

6.5

1.1

which collection and analysis of the pollutant oil wouldhave aided evaluations.

Pristane and PhytaneThese two compounds are frequently compared to

the n-C17 and n-C18 compounds reported and havebranched rather than straight-chain configurations.Pristane and phytane are often less abundant than then-C17 and n-C18 compounds in tissue, but they tend tooccur frequently in pollutant oils. They seem to bemetabolized less readily than the straight-chaincompounds and thus they tend to accumulate in tissueswhen exposure is chronic. Some of these relations areillustrated in Table 1. Ratios in the fIrst three entriesshow relative amounts of pristane and phytane in apollutant crude oil and in eggs of mallards from theexperiment in which it was fed. A great magnifIcation ofpristane and phytane over levels in the oil (entry 1) andin control animals (entry 2) is seen in eggs ofanimals fedthe oil for 4 months (entry 3). The mallard from the oilspill (entry 4) apparently shows some magnifIcation ofpristane and phytane, but the absence of control tissueor analysis of the pollutant makes it diffIcult to judgewith certainty. Nevertheless, exposure was probablyacute, rather than chronic, in this instance, and onewould expect pristane and phytane to have accumulatedless than in the 4-month feeding study. These relationsare important ones for evaluating whether chroniclow-level exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons hasoccurred. In acute exposure, external oiling is obviousand often fatal. Chronic low-level exposure to oil in foodor ingestion through preening might be impossible todiagnose, however, without analytical evidence ofpristane and phytane accumulation.

Dominance ofOdd-numbered hydrocarbonsHydrocarbons of recent biological origin are said to

have aliphatic compounds with odd-numbers ofcarbonsdominant (Farrington 1973; Giger et al. 1974), whereaspetroleum compounds have approximately equalconcentrations of compounds with odd- andeven-numbered carbons. If present, this tendency hasnot been a strong one in the bird tissues we haveexamined (Figure 1); however, it might prove a usefulbasis for evaluating hydrocarbons in other types ofbiological materials.

In What Circumstances ShouldAnalysis Be Requested?

Analysis of hydrocarbons in tissue is expensive andin some circumstances it might not yield meaningfulresults. For example, if exposure is acute and animalsare clearly suffering from the physical effects of largeamounts of oil stuck to feathers or skin, the question ofwhether oil is being consumed is probably moot. In

3

general, analysis of tissues is most useful when thebiologist has a clear question that demonstration of thepresence of oil in tissues could answer. Such questionsmight include the following: Are wildlife in the vicinitiesof a potential source of oil pollution contaminated withpetroleum hydrocarbons, relative to similar controls?Where dieoffs might have been caused by oil contamina­tion, are the symptoms in specimens actually the resultof such exposure? Is oil observed in the environmentrmding its way into wildlife tissues? Without well-drawnquestions, productive interpretation ofanalytical resultsis unlikely. Routine screening of wildlife tissues for thepresence of oil is costly and data are diffIcult to inter­pret.

How Much Oil in Tissues isHarmful to Wildlife?

Much work has been done on biological effects of bilingestion. It indicates that adult birds tolerate oil in thediet reasonably well, but that a variety of biochemical,physiological, and other changes might occur. Studiesrelating these effects to residue levels in the tissues havenot been performed. Even if performed, the results ofsuch studies might not be particularly meaningful.Exposure to a large amount ofoil for only a short periodcan produce death through external oiling, with little orno accumulation of residues. Lesser exposure overlonger periods might produce significant residueswithout posing any immediate danger to the animal.

Nevertheless, the types ofchanges noted during feed­ing experiments (Holmes et al. 1978; Szaro et al. 1978;Leighton et al. 1983), including depression of growth,impaired avoidance behavior, liver hypertrophy, splenicatrophy, kidney degeneration, hyperphagia, biochemi­cal lesions, hemolytic anemia, and depressed eggproduction (Coon and Dieter 1981), are the kinds ofef­fects that could have serious consequences in a free­living population. Holmes et al. (1978) noted low mor­tality in ducks fed crude oil except when the nonspecificstress caused by oil contamination was combined withthe stresses posed by simultaneous adaptation to seawater and cold. Because most animals in nature will besubjected to the stresses ofreproduction, migration, andoverwintering, to mention a few, it is reasonable to con­clude that any decline in physiological fItness couldresult in corresponding effects on populations. It is like­ly that any animal with demonstrated petroleumhydrocarbon residues in the tissues has suffered effectsofthe pollutant, but studies conducted to date have notrelated such sublethal effects to the status of wildlifepopulations.

Petroleum is a natural product, and it occurs in theenvironment in some places independent of humanactivity. In such areas, local populations ofwildlife mightbe expected to have adapted to chronic exposure.

Literature Cited

Albers, P. H., A. A. Belisle, D. M. Swineford, and R. J.Hall. 1985. Environmental contamination in the oilfields of western Pennsylvania. Oil Petrochem.Pollut. 2:265-280.

Belisle, A. A., M. L. Gay, and N. C. Coon. 1981.Comparison of two extraction methods for theanalysis of petroleum hydrocarbon residues inmallard duck eggs by GC and GC-MS. Chemosphere10:1197-1203.

Coon, N. c., and M. P. Dieter. 1981. Response of adultmallard ducks to ingested South Louisiana crude oil.Environ. Res. 24:309-314.

Farrington, J. W. 1973. Analytical techniques for thedetermination ofpetroleum contamination in marineorganisms. Pages 157-159 in Backgroundinformation: Workshops on inputs, fates, and effectsof petroleum in the marine environment. Airlee,Virginia, 21-25 May 1973. Ocean Affairs Board,National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.

Gay, M. L., A. A. Belisle, and J. F. Patton. 1980.Quantification of petroleum-type hydrocarbons inavian tissue. J. Chromatogr. 187:153-160.

Giger, W., M. Reinhard, C. Shaffner, and W. Stunner.1974. Petroleum-derived and indigenous hydrocar-

4

bons in recent sediments of Lake Zug, Switzerland.Environ. Sci. Technol. 8:454-455.

Hall, R. J., A. A. Belisle, and L. Sileo. 1983. Residues ofpetroleum hydrocarbons in tissues of sea turtlesexposed to the Ixtoc I oil spill. J. Wildl. Dis. 19:IOCr109.

Holmes, W. N., J. Cronshaw, and J. Gorsline. 1978.Some effects of ingested petroleum inseawater-adapted ducks (Anas platyrhynchos).Environ. Res. 17:177-190.

Leighton, F. A. 1985. Morphological lesions in redblood cells from herring gulls and Atlantic puffmsingesting Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Vet. Pathol.22:393-402.

Leighton, F. A., D. B. Peakall, and R. B. Butler. 1983.Heinz-body hemolytic anemia from ingestion ofcrude oil: a primary toxic effect in marine birds.Science 220:871--873.

Sticke~ L. F., and M. P. Dieter. 1979. Ecological andphysiological/toxicological effects of petroleum onaquatic birds. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., FWS/OBS-79123.14pp.

Szaro, R. c., M. P. Dieter, G. H. Heinz, and J. F. Fer­rell. 1978. Effects of chronic ingestion of SouthLouisiana crude oil on mallard ducklings. Environ.Res. 17:426-436.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESIDUE CHEIHSTRY - ANALYSIS DATA

PR#~ Date Completed~ Yr. Collected~ Init.AB, DsSample # 2d-O-/9 Sample Grouo '! "-1'7 Submitter's #C-oU.A(I-f-3.)

Specimen and Source djl'ooled m .. II ...... d ej3 S ; £ro,.." rn... \IClrJ.s. "nco,,1••IJ~e+GC Column & Special Instructions Lon~ L;m:~ 0';' Sens. Q. 0 .. ppm CO. q"'.jJWhole Wet \4eight g. Aliquot S· 0 g. Lipid g.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESIDUE CHEMISTRY - ANALYSIS DATA

------g.

------g.

Sil icicAcid Al iouot. ml ratio P".I

PR#~ ,9.0l. Date Completed~ Yr. Collected illk Init.--!l­

Samole # 1(;;-0 -19 Sample Group' 19 -jl) Submitter's # c.. -do

Specimen and Source ~ poolE'd roo..lld e~3s - c..Dntr'olsGC Column & Special Instructions 30m Ov-IOI (j boW):' S"~on',.f;<:. ..~:o~

Ai iquot ~.o j g. Lipid g.

G?C or Florisil Al iquot, ml ratio "~I /..:..' _

1/1

:'ihole ',let 'Aeight g.

------g.

-------g.

,GPC or Florisil Aliquot, ml ratio P/W __-=-/-l.'---- _,Silicic Acid Aliquot, ml ratio P/II Y,

(TI

Compund ug ug/g GC/MS Comment

trans- Deca 1in0.90 0.14'

n- C12O.~S o.osa

n- C13 a.a.! O.OS'on- C14 O:,;l S- 0.0.5])Octylcyclohexane - -n- C15 O. Ol~ O.O~tNonylcyclohexane -n- C16 D.IS- 0.030n- C17 0.30 o.o~o

Pristane o.,S' 0.030n- C18 O.~O 0.040Phytane 0./' o.o3tn- C19 O.dd. 0.0'11./n-C20 O.ello O.O~O

CompundI

ugI

ug/g GC/MS Comment

Tetral in

I- I

~:aohthale!1e -!-Met~ylnaDhthalene! -I2-ot~ylnaohthalene I --l-~-J;me~~yi- I ----nJD~t~ale!'1e I

-1- Phenyl to I uene -l,J,5-Trimethyl- -naoht~alene

Fluorene -Phenanthrene -

Reproduced frombest available copy.

Figure 1. Analytical report on hydrocarbons in pooled mallard eggs from unexposed (control) ducks in a feeding study.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESIDUE CHEMISTRY - ANALYSIS DATA

PR#~ Date Completed~~ Yr. Collected~ Init.~ ~

Sample#fd-O-aO Sample Group # "-3') SUbmitter's#~/d-~)

Specimen and source.:il pooled m... II", ..J .:"s) -:lS,oooef'''' S·I..~, d:e+

ENVIRONMENTAL RESIDUE CHEMISTRY - ANALYSIS DATA

PR#~ Date Completed~d Yr. Collected~ Init.~ gSample # eta-o- c1Q Sample Group 4 "-3') Submitter's # H-J(/U,J

Specimen and Source ~ pooled O1 .... II"'"J ej~.$. ~s: DOO rr"" S,L,C. d;t>+GC Column &Special Instructions OV-/OI GC Column &Special Instructions

Whole Wet Weight g. Aliquot S.O g. Lipid g. Whole Wet Weight g. Aliquot S.O g. Lipid g.

GPC or Florisil Aliquot, ml ratio P/W 'Ii g. GPC or Florisil Aliquot, ml ratio P/W ~ g.

Sil icic Acid Al iquot, ml ratio P/W ~ g. Silicic Acid Aliquot, ml ratio P/W ~ g.I

m

Compund ug ug/g GC/MS Comment

trans-Decal in O.a. t 0,05("

n- C12 O. ct "/ 0.19n-CI3 /. 'i O.G1tn- C14

" "/o.~i

Octylcyclohexane0.43 0.0/10

n- C15 1.1 O.a~

Nonylcyclohexane /.s 0,30n-C16 '.0 0 . .;l 0

n- C17 J.f' 0.3f.Pristane (,.0 / • .;l

n- C18 '.0 0,20Phytane 4.3 I.sn-C19 0. loS" 0.'3n-C2D a.t 0.510

Compund ug ug/g GC/MS Comment

Tetralin

Na phtha 1eneO.~~ O,I~ Il-~ethylnaphthalene0.S9 D.l ~

2-Ethylnaphthalene

l-.o-Dir:1ethyl-0,1.1

'I

naohrhalene , O·O(,,~:

4-Phenyltoluene1,3,5-Trimethyl-

naohthaleneFluorene 0, ;; r; o.OSIiPhenanthrene

Figure 2. Analytical report on hydrocarbons in pooled mallard eggs from ducks fed 25,000parts per million South Louisiana cmde oil.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESIDUE CHEMISTRY 0 ANALYSIS DATA ENVIRONMENTAL RESIDUE CHEMISTRY 0 ANALYSIS DATA

Lipid g.

a.'tl" g.

o. '1? g.

Init.~1

Submit t er' s #.L!li.!i.i. F

Aliquot

Specimen and Source I -'1 I' urn "'-11-',", J - J ..... ..-"....-" "., ""1

PR#nU

Sample # ~/-O- fl.') I

o. qf g.

GPC or Florisil Aliquot. ml ratio P/W ~~l ___

~

GC Column &Special

\,holeWetWeight Q.9tg.

Sil icic Acid Al iquot. ml ratio Pit,

o. 't~ g.

O. Cfi' g.

Lipid g.Whole Wet Weight O,Cfi g.

Silicic Acid Aliquot. ml ratio P/W

PR#~ Date Completed }IJ..3f=-i/ Yr. Collected~ Init.~B

Sample #R'I-O- a.21 Sample Group #«l"Jo-a.'7y Submitter's #Iof. CfloF

Specimen and Source EQ,t .£l"om 1'ba.1\g.('d J Wjom'.n'j 0.'/ s~GC Column & Special Instructions 0 V-tOI) "30 m Coo I Q

Aliquot o. 'It g.I

GPC or Florisil Aliquot. ml ratio P/W ~---'-----

~

.....,

Compund ug ug/g GC/MS Comment

trans-Decal in --n-CI2 -n- C13 --n- C14 -Octylcyclohexane -n- C15 O.rl f) o. f)9Nonylcyclohexane -n-C16 0.90 O.q ~

n- C17 3.5 3.(,Pristane 5:1 s.tn-C18 5"". '1 5.tPhytane '.4 ,. S"

n-C19 t.o t. ~n-C20 ~.S G.. to

Compund ug ug/g GC/MS Comment

Tetral in -Naphthalene -I-Methyl naphthalene --2-Ethylnaphthalene --loS-Dimethyl- -naphthalene

4-Phenyltoluene -1.3.5- Trimethyl-

D,SS 0,5("na phtha 1eneFl uorene -Phenanthrene D'b I O,b.;l.

Figure 3. Analytical report on hydrocarbons in the fat ofa mallard killed in a wyoming oil spill.

50272-unREPORT DOCUMENTATION 11. REPORT NO.

PAGE Bioloaical Renort 88(15)4. Title and Subtitle

Interpreting residues of petroleum hydrocarbons in wildlifetissues

7. Author(s)

Hall, R.J. and N.C. Coon

9. Performine O,..anlzation Name and Add,.ss

Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceLaurel, MD 20708

12. Sponsorlne O,..anizatlon Nam. and Address

Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceLaurel, MD 20708

15. Supplementary Notes

16. Abstract (limit: 200 words)

5. Report Date

..I. Performlna O,.anlzatlon Rept. No.

10. Prolect/Task/Work Unit No.

11. Contract(C) or Grant(G) No.

(C)

(G)

13. Type of Report & Period Covered

14.

This is the first publication in the field of environmental contaminant to tellthe reader how to interpret the results of analytical chemical results.specifically, this publication describes how to interpret residues ofpetroleum hydrocarbons in wildlife tissues. Pollutant oil residues in avianspecies are emphasized.

17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors

Contaminants, hydrocarbons, anlysis, wildlife r oil spills, mallard, sampling

b. Idantlfiers/Open·Ended Terms

Research and Development, Region 8

c. COSATI Field/Group

II. Availability Statemen,

Release unlimited

I'. security Class (ThIs Report)

Unclassified20. security Clas. (ThIs fIe.e)

Unclassified22. Price

(S.e ANSI-Z39.18) See Inatructlona on R_,.a

«{ U.S. Government Printing Olllee: 1988-573-205180035

OPTIONAL FORM 272 (4-7n(Formerly NTI8-35)Department of Commerce