Bioaccumulation, Food Chain Transfer, and Biological Effects of Barium and Chromium from Drilling Muds by Flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, and Lobster, Homarus americanus

However, lobsters were moderately stressed by exposure to contaminated sediments as evidenced by higher mortality than among lobsters exposed for 99 days to clean sediments. 1. INTRODUCTION During the drilling of offshore exploration and production wells, a variety of liquid, solid and gaseous wastes are produced on the drilling rig or platform. Some of these wastes may be discharged to the ocean, including cooling water from machinery, deck drainage and produced water following treatment in an oil/water separator, domestic sewage following primary treatment and chlorine addition, drill cuttings and water-based drilling muds. Drill cuttings and drilling muds are quantitatively the most important wastes discharged during exploration and development and have generated the greatest concern about possible adverse environmental impacts of offshore exploration and development.