Impact of oestrogenic substances from oil production at sea

The possibility that chemicals present in the environment may mimic hormones, causing deleterious physiological effects to wildlife, has been given considerable attention. Although the question of ecological significance of ‘endocrine disrupters’ is not yet settled, and standard assessment procedures have not yet been established, proposals to control these chemicals into the marine environment are now being made under the Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR) and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). A possible source of such emissions is offshore-drilling, where applications containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylphenols, indicated as environmental oestrogens, historically have been used. This paper examines available evidence regarding the potential impact of these substances on aquatic organisms living around offshore platforms.