Approximately 2,000 chemical
products are used by the offshore oil and gas industry (DTI-SEA3
Report).
On the exploration and production side of the
sector, sources of chemical contamination include:
- The discharge of
produced waters.
Leakage of chemicals (mainly PCBs) from electrical
equipment.
- The release of ozone
depleting substances from refrigeration and firefighting
equipment.
- Cadmium containing
sacrificial anodes to protect offshore platforms from
corrosion.
- The discharge of
oil-based drilling muds.
On the product side
of the industry there maybe even more reason for concern
because chemical contamination from products is more
widespread, e.g. sulphur from fuels, methyl tertiary butyl
ether (MTBA) entering
groundwater from storage tanks and lead particles from
motor exhausts.
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How serious do you think chemical contamination
arising from offshore oil and gas operation is for
humans, wildlife, ecosystem integrity and climate
change? |
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