Forms of Mercury in Drilling Fluid Barite and Their Fate in the Marine Environment: A Review and Synthesis

This paper reviews scientific information on chemical forms and fate in the marine environment of mercury associated with drilling fluid barite. Overall, the available evidence supports the conclusions that mercury associated with drilling-fluid barite: (1) is mainly present in metal sulfides with very low solubility, (2) is not detectably leached into seawater, and (3) has limited availability to marine organisms. Reported mercury concentrations in barite from diverse sources range from