Effects of Produced Water and Production Chemical Additives on Marine Environments: A Toxicological Review

Abstract

Schmeichel, Jill, Masters of Environmental Assessment.

Effects of Produced Water and Production Chemical Additives on Marine Environments: A Toxicological

Review

Review of current research suggests that produced water discharges are unlikely to induce widespread

acute toxicological effects in marine environments due to the highly dilute concentrations of chemical

constituents entering receiving waters, and their fate and transport behaviors post-entry. Biological

uptake of chemical constituents known to be toxic has been observed in field and laboratory studies,

though generally not at levels inducing acute toxicological impact. Evidence of health effects in

biomarker studies suggests that more research is required to understand the impacts of long-term,

low-dose exposure to produced water, particularly for marine organisms in early life stages. While

there is somewhat limited research in the peer-reviewed literature specific to production chemicals,

their impacts appear to be negligible as constituent concentrations have been diluted to the extent

that they do not elicit toxic responses, even in cases where they may be intrinsically toxic.