Mercury and the Results from the Gulf of Mexico Offshore Operations Experiment (GOOMEX)

摘要

Surface sediment samples were collected from five platformsin the Gulf of Mexico during the Gulf of Mexico OffshoreOperations Monitoring Experiment (GOOMEX), a MineralsManagement Service funded study, and analyzed for totalmercury. While this study was reported in 1995, new interestin the report was sparked by several newspaper articles usingthe results to link mercury in drilling discharges with mercuryin fish. As part of the study program, sediment samples werecollected from near the platform and far from the platform.Total mercury ranged from not detected to 3.5 parts permillion in the sediments. The highest values were from near asingle platform where discharges are shunted to within tenmeters from the bottom. Tissue samples, including shrimp,crabs, fish livers, and fish stomach contents, were alsocollected as part of the project and analyzed for total mercury.Statistical comparison of the results indicated that the samplesdid not differ significantly between near field and far field.This presentation includes a background discussion of theissue of mercury as a global pollutant and puts intoperspective the contribution from oil and gas activitiesaround platforms.