Produced water radionuclide hazard/risk assessment, Phase 1

Technical Report · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10156028· OSTI ID:10156028

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

Petroleum production may be accompanied by the production of saline water, called ``produced water.`` Produced water discharged into freshwater streams, estuaries, coastal and outer continental shelf waters can contained enhanced levels of radium isotopes. This document reports on the first phase of a study to estimate the risk to human health and the environment from radium discharged in produced water. The study involved five major steps: (1) evaluate the usefulness of available produced water outfall data for developing estimates of radium environmental concentrations; (2) review the literature on the bioaccumulation of radium by aquatic organism; (3) review the literature on the effects of radiation on aquatic organisms; (4) review the information available concerning the human health risks associated with exposure to Ra-226 and Ra-228 and (5) perform a conservative, screening-level assessment of the health and environmental risks posed by Ra-226 and Ra-228 discharged in produced waters. A screening-level analysis was performed to determine whether radium discharged to coastal Louisiana in produced waters presents potential health or environmental risks requiring further study. This conservative assessment suggested that no detectable impact on populations of fish, molluscs or crustaceans from radium discharged in produced waters is likely. The analysis also suggested that there is a potential for risk were an individual to ingest a large amount of seafood harvested near a produced water discharge point over a lifetime. The number of excess cancers predicted per year under a conservative scenario is comparable to those expected to result from background concentrations of radium.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 10156028
• Report Number(s): BNL--47403; ON: DE92016310
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540330
560101
560161
560162
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ADSORPTION
ANIMALS, PLANTS, MICROORGANISMS, AND CELLS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
DILUTION
DOSE RATES
DOSIMETRY AND MONITORING
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FOOD CHAINS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INGESTION
MAN
NEOPLASMS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SCREENING
SURFACE WATERS