Health risk assessment for radium discharged in produced waters
Produced water generated during the production of oil and gas can contain enhanced levels of radium. This naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is discharged into freshwater streams, estuarine, coastal and outer continental shelf waters. Large volumes of produced waters are discharged to coastal waters along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. The Gulf of Mexico is an important producer of fish and shellfish, and there is concern that radium discharged to coastal Louisiana could contaminate fish and shellfish used by people for food, and present a significant increase in cancer risk. This paper describes a screening-level assessment of the potential cancer risks posed by radium discharged to coastal Louisiana in oil-field produced waters. This screening analysis was performed to determine if a more comprehensive and realistic assessment is necessary, and because of the conservative assumptions embedded in the analysis overestimates the risk associated with the discharge of radium in produced waters. Two isotopes of radium (Ra-226 and Ra-228) are the radionuclides of most concern in produced water in terms of potential human health effects.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 5619526
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-45036; CONF-920206-1; ON: DE92006631
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International produced water symposium, San Diego, CA (United States), 4-7 Feb 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Produced water radionuclide hazard/risk assessment, Phase 1
Produced water radionuclide hazard/risk assessment, Phase 1
Related Subjects
03 NATURAL GAS
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
02 PETROLEUM
FISHES
CONTAMINATION
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
LOUISIANA
COASTAL WATERS
NATURAL GAS
RECOVERY
PETROLEUM
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FOOD CHAINS
NEOPLASMS
RADIUM 226
RADIUM 228
RISK ASSESSMENT
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASES
DOSES
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION VI
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
POPULATIONS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560161* - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man
030800 - Natural Gas- Environmental Aspects
560101 - Biomedical Sciences
Applied Studies- Radiation Effects- Dosimetry & Monitoring- (1992-)
020900 - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects