Health risk assessment for radium discharged in produced waters

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:10120432

Hamilton, L D; Meinhold, A F; Nagy, J

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, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 10120432
• Report Number(s): BNL--45036; CONF-920206--1; ON: DE92006631
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900
03 NATURAL GAS
030800
560101
560161
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
COASTAL WATERS
CONTAMINATION
DOSIMETRY AND MONITORING
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FISHES
FOOD CHAINS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LOUISIANA
MAN
NATURAL GAS
NEOPLASMS
PETROLEUM
RADIATION DOSES
RADIUM 226
RADIUM 228
RECOVERY
RISK ASSESSMENT