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Acute Toxicity of the Water‐Soluble Fraction of Spent Lubricating Oil on the African Catfish Clarias gariepinus

Static tests were employed to assess the acute toxicity of the water‐soluble fraction (WSF) of spent automotive lubricating oil (of mixed SAE grades) on Clarias gariepinus, a freshwater fish commonly cultured in Nigeria. Median lethal concentrations (LC50) of the WSF were found to decrease as a function of exposure time from 690±21 (after 24 h) to 513±58 mg/l (after 96 h). The characteristics of the WSF such as mean acidity (pH 6.6), turbidity (40 NTU), total dissolved solids (TDS; 40 mg/l) and significantly reduced (P<0.05) dissolved‐oxygen (DO) values (1.44 mg/l) were not compliant with existing standards set for discharged effluents. The solubility of the detected straight‐chain aliphatics ranked as C14>C16>C32>C18>C28; that of the simple aromatics was ortho‐xylene>para‐xylene; and that of the polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was acenaphthylene>9H‐fluorene>naphthalene>anthracene>phenanthrene>chrysene>benzo[k]fluoranthene>benzo[a]pyrene>benzo[b]fluoranthene, most of which being serious carcinogens. These oil constituents and the overall physico‐chemical properties of the WSF are expected to act synergistically on the test organism (C. gariepinus), eliciting the quantal responses observed. The toxicity of the WSF points to the base constituent, oxidative degradation, and mechano‐chemical reactions associated with aged crankcase oils. These oils, therefore, should definitely no longer be disposed into water streams or landscape, not even at sub‐lethal concentrations, because of the inherent toxicity of their soluble fractions and the associated danger of bioaccumulation.