SEDL / STP / STP1018-EB / STP18647S

Dispersants in the Freshwater Environment

Brown, HM
Research chemists, Esso Resources Canada Limited, Calgary,

Goodman, RH
Research chemists, Esso Resources Canada Limited, Calgary,

Pages: 10    Published: Jan 1989

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Abstract

During the past four years, a research program to investigate the effect of oil and dispersant chemicals on a freshwater ecosystem has been carried out. Laboratory experiments were used to select a suitable dispersant for a field trial and to develop monitoring techniques which would be capable of detecting chronic and sublethal effects in selected species of the freshwater ecosystem. The field trial demonstrated that a spill of light oil covering 5 to 10% of the surface of a small shallow freshwater lake had no long-term measurable effects and that the application of a dispersant ameliorated some short-term effects even in this low energy system.