This paper describes an approach for the early combination of material characterization and toxicology testing in order to design carbon nanofiber (CNF) with low toxicity. The aim was to investigate how the adjustment of production parameters and purification procedures can result in a CNF product with low toxicity. Different CNF batches from a pilot plant were characterized with respect to physical properties (chemical composition, specific surface area, morphology, surface chemistry) as well as toxicity by in vitro and in vivo tests. A description of a test battery for both material characterization and toxicity is given. The results illustrate how the adjustment of production parameters and purification, thermal treatment in particular, influence the material characterization as well as the outcome of the toxic tests. The combination of the tests early during product development is a useful and efficient approach when aiming at designing CNF with low toxicity. Early quality and safety characterization, preferably in an iterative process, is expected to be efficient and promising for this purpose. The toxicity tests applied are preliminary tests of low cost and rapid execution. For further studies, effects such as lung inflammation, fibrosis and respiratory cancer are recommended for the more in-depth studies of the mature CNF product.

Correct selection and use of solids-control equipment are essential in not only maintaining drilling fluid at its desired properties but also in avoiding the generation of unnecessary waste streams during drilling.Since the early 1930s, the shale shaker has been the dominant device for primary-solids removal. Additional equipment (e.g., desilters, desanders, and centrifuges) was often used in the past to maintain proper solids control, but experience in recent years has demonstrated that, although dependent on correct operational procedures, several types of shale shakers have sufficient performance to act as the sole solids-control devices without the use of desanders and desilters.Despite often being the only measure for solids removal, the selection of shale shakers, the screening, and the establishment of operational procedures are often based on biased information (Dahl et al. 2006). In addition, it has been recognized that methods and criteria for the verification of shale shakers have not been sufficiently qualified and standardized. To address this, a multidisciplinary verification test of various solids-control concepts has been conducted. The objective of the test has been to verify equipment performance in a standardized, onshore test facility related to Oil-mist and vapor emission Ventilation (to obtain a satisfactory working environment) Flow-handling capacity with various drilling fluids Leakage rate (i.e., the volume of fluid bypassing the filtration screen)Lost-circulation-material feature Noise and vibration level Maintenance and equipment robustness Feature for running lost-circulation-material reclamation The tests were all planned and run in close cooperation with the equipment suppliers to ensure test-objective alignment. Several findings were made throughout the test period that provided vital information for design improvements and increased the industry's competence with respect to solids control.

Indoor air quality depends on a number of factors, including the outdoor air quality, ventilation, the amount of fresh air provided indoors, and the amount of air pollution derived from numerous indoor sources. Indoor environments are usually characterized by exposure to a complex mixture of different agents at very low exposures, mostly far below any known threshold level of biological effect. However, since people spend more than 90% of their time indoors, these low concentrations may have an impact on health and wellbeing. Those with asthma, allergies and other hypersensitivities are particularly vulnerable to inferior indoor environments. Dampness in buildings and combustion processes are probably the major pollution sources. The most important effects on public health are probably allergic respiratory sensitization, aggravation of allergic diseases, increased susceptability to respiratory infection and worsening of chronic obstructive lung diseases. The pollutants in the indoor air are gases and particles. The most typical inorganic gases are CO, NO 2 , CO 2 and O 3 . Important organic gases are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde, phthalates and flame retardants. Combustion processes (tobacco smoke, heating, cooking, frying, grilling) are the main indoor sources of smaller nonbiological particles. Biological particles originate typically from pet allergens, house dust mites, pollen and micro‐organisms.

This paper describes an approach for developing a protocol for chemical exposure assessment in habitats. The aim was to develop a method for the working environment toolkit to be applied in chemical risk management. In general, no hot work can be performed on pipelines and equipment when a plant is in operation (hot plant). This is due to safety reasons, i.e. explosion and fire prevention. Introducing a habitat, typically a tent with overpressure, can fulfill the safety requirements and enable that hot work can take place on a hot plant if this is performed inside the habitat. However, habitat has not been considered with respect to working environment and health risk. High concentration of chemical contaminants and noise, difficult access and work positions, may be unwanted effects introducing health risk. This paper is focusing on chemical contaminants in real habitats that have not earlier been reported in the literature. Measurements are fundamental for the chemical risk assessment of work in habitat. A protocol was drafted, selecting appropriate sampling methods, direct reading instruments, operating procedures and data collection protocols. Instruments were checked and calibrated and the robustness for field measurements was in particular investigated. A setup in a, for the purpose, designed climate chamber was made to simulate a habitat. The climate chamber enabled measurements, training of personnel, test of protocol and instruments in advance. Finally, the method will be used at real habitat measurements, to be performed at hot plant installations. The method will be revised based on the experiences achieved from real habitat measurements, and then recommended as best practice. The method for the chemical exposure assessment in habitat will enable us to determine risk, and to implement suitable control measures.

Drilling operations require use of drilling fluid and solids control equipment to remove cuttings from the well. To maintain the drilling fluid at its desired properties it is essential to have efficient solids removal, which requires good solids control equipment in addition to good routines and practice for inspection of the shale shakers. Solids removal takes place in the shaker room, where the return fluid from the well is processed by shale shakers. Chemical emission of volatile compounds occur as the warm drilling fluid passes through the screens in the shaker and cuttings are discharged, and despite the use of ventilation system the emissions highly effect the working environment and point out the shaker room as a hot spot for occupational exposure. During an onshore test of various shakers, factors expected to effect the chemical working environment while using oil based drilling fluid was examined. The factors were traditional open versus enclosed shaker design / front hood, and high and low ventilation rate. The evaporation level was monitored with a real time instrument for measurement of volatile organic compounds, while the level of oil vapour and oil mist were captured with filter and adsorbent tube sampling. The test methodology has been evolved from prior offshore and onshore tests (Bråtveit et al. 2009; Peikli et al. 2010; Steinsvåg et al. 2011; Aase et al. 2012). The results from the chemical emission measurements showed that the separation system with highest degree of enclosure, i.e. fully enclosed, gave the lowest values, thus, provided the best chemical working environment. For semi-enclosed solutions, it was possible to reduce the emissions through optimizing the ventilation rate. However, the chemical emissions were still above the tests acceptance criteria. For a fully open system it was not possible to apply ventilation only in order to control chemical emissions to an acceptable level. As a result of the test all participating shaker suppliers have initiated design improvements to achieve a better chemical working environment in the shaker room.