Effect of a Bunker Fuel on the Beach Bacterial Flora

Studies at four sampling locations on three beaches in the San Francisco area affected by oil from an 840,000 gallon spill of Chevron bunker fuel have shown that the size of the bacterial population and distribution of bacterial genera within the beach was unaffected by the petroleum hydrocarbons remaining in the beach sand after completion of the cleanup operation. Only 15 percent of the beach bacteria were affected by a variety of petroleum components including the pentane soluble fraction of the bunker fuel.