Kirby Mark F, Law Robin J
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Burnham Laboratory, Remembrance Avenue, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex CM0 8HA, United Kingdom.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2008 Jul;56(7):1243-7. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.03.002. Epub 2008 Apr 22.
The environmental threat from oil spills remains significant across the globe and particularly in regions of high oil production and transport such as the Gulf. The ultimate damage caused can be limited by mitigation actions that responders deploy. The responsible and appropriate use of oil spill treatment products (e.g. dispersants, sorbents etc.) can offer response options that can result in substantial net environmental benefit. However, the approval and choice of what products to use needs careful consideration. The United Kingdom has had in place a statutory approval scheme for oil spill treatment products for 30 years. It is based on measures of efficiency and environmental acceptability. Two toxicity tests form an integral part of the assessment, the Sea test and the Rocky Shore test, and work on the premise that approved products will not make the situation significantly worse when added to spilled oil. This paper outlines the UK approach and how its rationale might be applied to the approval of products specific for the Gulf region. Issues such as species choice, higher temperatures and salinity and regional environmental conditions are considered.
石油泄漏对全球环境构成的威胁依然严峻，在石油生产和运输密集的地区，如海湾地区，情况尤为严重。应急人员采取的缓解措施能够限制石油泄漏造成的最终损害。合理且恰当地使用石油泄漏处理产品（如分散剂、吸附剂等）可为应对行动提供多种选择，从而带来显著的环境净效益。然而，对于使用何种产品的审批和选择需要谨慎考量。英国实施石油泄漏处理产品法定审批制度已有30年。该制度基于效率和环境可接受性的衡量标准。两项毒性测试是评估的重要组成部分，即海洋测试和岩岸测试，其依据的前提是，经批准的产品在添加到泄漏的石油中时，不会使情况显著恶化。本文概述了英国的方法以及如何将其原理应用于海湾地区特定产品的审批。文中还考虑了诸如物种选择、较高的温度和盐度以及区域环境条件等问题。
