Alterations in the Cellular and Subcellular Structure of Marine Teleosts and Invertebrates Exposed to Petroleum in the Laboratory and Field: A Critical Review
Laboratory studies with individual petroleum components, model mixtures of hydrocarbons, fractions of petroleum, and whole oil have demonstrated, mostly at high exposure concentrations, an association between petroleum and various cellular/subcellular alterations in marine organisms. Recent evidence, notably from studying the effect of the AMOCO CADIZ oil spill, suggest that cellular/subcellular alterations also result from exposing marine organisms to petroleum in the field. In marine environments, however, it is still generally not possible to predict the type or degree of impact of petroleum on organisms because little information is available on the influence of myriad natural and man-induced environmental variables on its fate and effects.Key words: marine invertebrates and teleosts, petroleum, pollution, aromatic hydrocarbons, acute/chronic exposures, cellular/subcellular changes, pathological changes, morphology, mutagenesis, DNA binding, laboratory studies, field studies