Hall A J, Watkins J, Hiby L
Sea Mammal Research Unit, NERC, High Cross, Cambridge, UK.
Sci Total Environ. 1996 Jul 16;186(1-2):119-25. doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(96)05090-5.
Signs of acute respiratory distress were reported in moulting grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) hauled out on Lady's Holm, Shetland, following the Braer oil spill in January, 1993. Behavioural observations carried out between 16 January and 13 February 1993 showed that the proportion of animals exhibiting a discharge of nasal mucus was significantly higher than the proportion at a control site in the north (Papa Stour). The proportion of animals affected on Lady's Holm increased for up to one month following the spill. However, the time lag between exposure and peak response was approximately 30 days, longer than may be expected for an acute effect. The proportion of non-specific signs of respiratory distress in unexposed Shetland seals was assessed from observations made between 16 January and 25 January 1994. Symptoms similar to those seen in 1993 were also reported during this period, but the proportion of affected animals was higher in 1993. Symptoms were not observed at a grey seal moult site on the east coast of England in March 1993 and 1994. Grey seals moulting in Shetland during the time of the oil spill may have been acutely affected by exposure to hydrocarbons, but without sufficient baseline data on the occurrence of respiratory distress in grey seals it is difficult to determine the proportion attributable to other causes.
1993年1月发生布雷尔号油轮漏油事故后，在设得兰群岛利迪霍尔姆岛上岸蜕皮的灰海豹（Halichoerus grypus）出现了急性呼吸窘迫的迹象。1993年1月16日至2月13日期间进行的行为观察表明，出现鼻黏液分泌的动物比例显著高于北部对照地点（帕帕斯托尔岛）的比例。利迪霍尔姆岛上受影响的动物比例在漏油事故发生后的长达一个月内持续上升。然而，暴露与反应峰值之间的时间间隔约为30天，比急性效应预期的时间要长。通过1994年1月16日至1月25日期间的观察评估了未暴露的设得兰海豹呼吸窘迫非特异性体征的比例。在此期间也报告了与1993年所见类似的症状，但1993年受影响动物的比例更高。1993年3月和1994年3月在英格兰东海岸的一个灰海豹蜕皮地点未观察到症状。在漏油事故发生时在设得兰群岛蜕皮的灰海豹可能因接触碳氢化合物而受到急性影响，但由于缺乏关于灰海豹呼吸窘迫发生率的足够基线数据，很难确定可归因于其他原因的比例。
