(VEN) - A recent study by the Vietnam Petroleum Institute in Ho Chi Minh City shows that oil and gas production and processing activities have harmful impacts on the environment and human health due to high concentrations of radioactive materials in oil.
The oil and gas sector has to deal with naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) which can be found in all types of equipment that are used to produce/process/transport gas. Though NORM are of low radioactivity, their harmful impacts on the environment and human health are very big. During the operation process, those types of equipment are gradually affected and eroded by radioactivity. When the equipment items are cleansed, large volumes of radioactive waste will be discharged into the environment.
The radioactivity-affected, eroded equipment must be replaced with new equipment. It is necessary to bury radioactivity-affected equipment. The oil and gas sector also has to deal with radon that occurs naturally as the decay product of some kinds of radioactive materials. Radon remains a gas under normal conditions and is considered to be a health hazard due to its radioactivity. Radon is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking.
Aware of the harmful impacts of radioactive waste, the Vietnam Petroleum Institute in Ho Chi Minh City has surveyed and analyzed the radioactivity of crude oil from some oil fields in Vietnam such as Bach Ho, Rong, Rang Dong, Su Tu Den and Su Tu Vang. Results show that concentrations of radioactive elements in crude oil from the surveyed oil fields are very low and therefore do not yet cause any harmless impacts on the environment and human health. However, it is necessary to effectively manage radioactive waste that is discharged during the production/processing/transportation/preservation of oil and gas./.
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