ABSTRACT

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, a number of government agencies, academic institutions, consultants, and nonprofit organizations conducted lab- and field-based research to understand the toxic effects of the oil. Lab testing was performed with a variety of fish, birds, turtles, and vertebrate cell lines (as well as invertebrates); field biologists conducted observations on fish, birds, turtles, and marine mammals; and epidemiologists carried out observational studies in humans. Eight years after the spill, scientists and resource managers held a workshop to summarize the similarities and differences in the effects of DWH oil on vertebrate taxa and to identify remaining gaps in our understanding of oil toxicity in wildlife and humans, building upon the cross-taxonomic synthesis initiated during the Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Across the studies, consistency was found in the types of toxic response observed in the different organisms. Impairment of stress responses and adrenal gland function, cardiotoxicity, immune system dysfunction, disruption of blood cells and their function, effects on locomotion, and oxidative damage were observed across taxa. This consistency suggests conservation in the mechanisms of action and disease pathogenesis. From a toxicological perspective, a logical progression of impacts was noted: from molecular and cellular effects that manifest as organ dysfunction, to systemic effects that compromise fitness, growth, reproductive potential, and survival. From a clinical perspective, adverse health effects from DWH oil spill exposure formed a suite of signs/symptomatic responses that at the highest doses/concentrations resulted in multi-organ system failure.

摘要

在深水地平线之后(DWH) 石油泄漏事件后，许多政府机构、学术机构、顾问和非营利组织进行了实验室和现场研究，以了解石油的毒性影响。使用各种鱼类、鸟类、海龟和脊椎动物细胞系（以及无脊椎动物）进行了实验室测试；野外生物学家对鱼类、鸟类、海龟和海洋哺乳动物进行了观察；流行病学家对人类进行了观察研究。漏油事件发生八年后，科学家和资源管理者举办了一次研讨会，总结 DWH 油对脊椎动物类群影响的异同，并在跨分类学研究的基础上，确定我们对野生动物和人类石油毒性的理解中仍存在的差距。在自然资源损害评估期间启动综合。在整个研究中，在不同生物体中观察到的毒性反应类型具有一致性。在整个分类单元中观察到应激反应和肾上腺功能受损、心脏毒性、免疫系统功能障碍、血细胞及其功能破坏、对运动的影响和氧化损伤。这种一致性表明作用机制和疾病发病机制的保守性。从毒理学的角度来看，影响的逻辑进展被注意到：从表现为器官功能障碍的分子和细胞效应，到损害健康、生长、生殖潜力和生存的系统效应。从临床角度来看，DWH 漏油暴露对健康的不利影响形成了一系列体征/症状反应，在最高剂量/浓度下会导致多器官系统衰竭。