Toxicology Investigation into the Effects of an Oil Dispersant Component on the Pacific Periwinkles, Littorina sp

The deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in Gulf of Mexico is the biggest environmental disaster in United States history. Ultimately, British Petroleum was responsible for both the 205.8 million gallons of oil that spilled from the oil rig and the 1.8 gallons of the dispersant Corexit 9527, sprayed across hundreds of miles of oil slicks across the Gulf in 2010.   In this investigation we studied 2-butoxyethanol (a component that comprises 30-60 percent of this dispersant). Interestingly, this compound has been reported to be four times more toxic than oil.  Research studies conducted by the Swedish Environmental Institute and the equivalent of Sweden’s EPA, suggest that, combined together, oil and Corexit is far more toxic than either the petroleum or dispersant alone. The LC₅₀ data found in literature was reported to be 470mg/kg and 220mg/kg, for rat and rabbit respectively. Preliminary data from our lab revealed LC₅₀ of 22.8 g/L and 592.7g/L for 2-butoxyethanol and motor oil, respectively for Littorina sp. . Our work aims to verify these data and understand the toxicity effects of 2-butoxyethanol on Littorina species under different experimental conditions. Also, we want to verify the half-life report of 2-butoxyethanol in water range from one to four weeks. We anticipate that the results will provide us with insights into the ecological consequences of such environmental disasters and determine the future use of 2-butoxyethanol in oil dispersants.