Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Produced Water

Abstract

The produced water extracted during oil and gas production includes formation water, injected water, small volumes of condensed water, and any chemical added during the oil/water separation process. Produced water contains both organic and inorganic constituents, and several studies have been conducted in the past to assess their risk. The toxicity and persistence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in produced water is of particular environmental concern, but there are very few studies on human health risk assessment from PAHs of produced water. This article summarizes the results of a conservative human health risk assessment approach for PAHs in produced water discharges to the marine environment. Due to the absence of available toxicity data for PAHs, the cancer slope factors were determined by using the relative potency factors (RPF) and Toxicity Equivalency Factors (TEF). Using the concentration distribution factors, the maximum cancer risks to humans were predicted in the range of 4.07 × 10 −7 to 2.95 × 10 −6 . The 95th-percentile values show that the risks are well within the acceptable limits.

The role of passive sampling in monitoring the environmental impacts of produced water discharges from the Norwegian oil and gas industry

“…DREAM is based on the assumption of a several 1000 fold dilution of recipient concentrations, but confirming this by applying passive sampling to capture extremely low (diluted) concentrations would allow for more accurate predictions (Carlsson et al, 2014). The DREAM model is also based on deployed mussels and currently a data gap exists with regard to the distribution and accumulation of certain compounds in the marine food web and their accumulation in fish (Chowdhury et al, 2009).…”

Impacts of produced water origin on bacterial community structures of activated sludge

“…Owing to their persistence and potential deleterious effects on the environment and human health, PAHs have long been an important group of pollutants of environmental concern (Chowdhury et al, 2009).…”

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Concentrations in Drinking Water in Villages along the Huai River in China and Their Association with High Cancer Incidence in Local Population

“…Probabilistic approaches such as a Monte Carlo simulation provide flexible tools for estimating the uncertainties and stochastic properties of contaminant exposure and toxicity. Consequently, probabilistic HHRAs have been successfully used to assess the potential adverse health effects of water contaminants [ 10 – 12 ].…”