ABSTRACT
This paper reports the results of a field study which took place around an exploratory well located in the Santa Barbara Channel. The distribution of Ba in the sediments, and its bioaccumulation and subcellular distribution in three benthic species were examined before and after drilling. Statistically significant increases in the accumulation of Ba were found in the sediments down current from the well site after drilling. Statistically significant increases in the bioaccumulation of Ba were also observed in two of the three species examined, Cyclocardia ventricosa and Pectinaria californiensis. Within these organisms the majority of the Ba was localized in the granular pellets ( >97%) and less than 0.1% accumulated in the cytosol. These data indicate that although significant bioaccumulation of Ba occurs in some species immediately down current from the well, most of it remains in an insoluble form, presumably as BaSO4. The labile fraction of the accumulated Ba, which is associated with the other subcellular fractions, represents less than 3% of the total and does not appear to be present in sufficient quantities to cause toxicity.
