Acute toxicity of qua iboe light crude oil on a fresh water fish, Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract

The process of Crude oil exploration and exploitation is known to result in wide ranging negative environmental impacts, despite its huge benefits. Oil spillage, in particular, has been implicated in the pollution of aquatic and terrestrial environments resulting in severe harm and damage to organisms inhabiting them. The degree of pollution is measured by the damage potential or toxicity of the crude oil. The knowledge of toxicity of a particular blend of crude oil facilitates proper management of its spillages as has been widely reported in the Nigeria aquatic ecosystem.
Acute toxicity of Qua Iboe Light Crude Oil against a fresh water fish, Oreochromis niloticus was determined in laboratory bioassay.
Toxicity measurement based on 72hrs LC50 and 96hrs LC50 showed an average toxicity of 1.25ml/l. Specifically, 96hrs LC50 value was shown to be 1.069ml/l while 72hrs LC50 value was 1.432ml/l. The relevance of acute toxicity studies against sensitive aquatic organisms in the management of oil pollution events in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is discussed in the paper.

KEY WORDS: Acute toxicity, Qua Iboe Light Crude Oil, Oreochromis nilotilus.