Environmental impact studies of barium and radium discharges by produced waters from the “Bacia de Campos” oil-field offshore platforms, Brazil

Produced water samples from different E&P offshore petroleum platforms, belonging to the Bacia de Campos oil field, Brazil, were analyzed for barium, 226Ra and 1Ra. The concentrations measured are in the range of 0.36–25.7 mg l−1 for barium, 0.012–6.0 Bq l−1 for 226Ra and <0.05–12.0 Bq l−1 for 1Ra. A strong correlation between the concentration of barium and radium isotopes was observed (226Ra: r2=0.926; 228Ra: r2=0.785). Additionally, seawater and sediment samples were taken at different distances (from 250 to 1000 m) from the two selected platforms. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved and particulate barium, 226Ra and 228Ra and the sediment samples for total and leachable barium, 226Ra and 228Ra. The results showed that even for the shortest sampling distance (250 m) from the discharge point, barium, 226Ra and 228Ra concentrations are similar to the local background, indicating that dispersion by local currents is enough to minimize environmental impacts.