Metagenome analysis of oil drilling waste at a oil drilling waste recycling plant

The 1 % weight emission-limit of drill waste set by the authorities has set an end to disposal of waste containing oil-based drilling fluids into the sea. The waste mud is instead shipped on shore for cleansing and re-cycling. Several waste plants have been built along the coast of Norway for this purpose. The business of handling and recycling oil drill waste is relatively new, and there is limited documentation of any possible negative health effects for workers handling drilling mud at these plants. The on-site occupational health services report of ailments such as of odors, fatigue, headaches and sickness. These are vague descriptions that may have several causes, but exposure on the work place cannot be ruled out. It is therefore desirable to survey the risk of exposure and possible negative health effects at these work places. For this purpose the chemical and biological agents in the air generated by recycling of the oil drilling waste was characterized and the community biodiversity and function of the drilling waste was analyzed by shotgun sequencing.