Effects of produced waters on the marine enviroment

Detailed data on the composition of produced waters are now more completely available, especially for inorganic ions. A review of these data and their significance leads to the conclusion that toxic components are present in very low concentrations in produced waters if at all. Natural forces such as dilution, evaporation, photooxidation and biological reactions rapidly reduce the concentration of any hydrocarbon or organic toxic components in the produced waters to levels not harmful to the marine environment and biota. Inorganic components are reduced in toxicity by chelation and sedimentation processes. Field data show that low-level discharge of produced waters has little to no detrimental effects on the marine environment or biota.