Abstract
Drilling fluids (DF) and the resulting drill cuttings (DC), widely used in oil production, pose a serious threat to the environment and human health. The issue of toxicity and danger of drilling fluids and drill cuttings still remains poorly understood and controversial. In this paper, we evaluate the dose-dependent effects of drilling fluid in an acute experiment with scientific substantiation of lethal doses, general condition and behavioral reactions, indices of enzymatic activity of detoxifying systems and morphological picture of peripheral blood. The obtained factual material convincingly demonstrates that drilling fluid has an adverse effect on adult guinea pigs. Lethal doses of drilling fluid (LD16, LD50, LD84, LD100) for a single intragastric administration, as well as indices of potential danger of acute poisoning are scientifically substantiated; The time of death and survival of experimental animals were calculated, which was dose-dependent. It was proven that the drilling fluid in an acute experiment leads to significant changes in the general condition of the experimental animals, accompanied by a decrease in food intake and water consumption, disruption of behavioral reactions and an emotional component. The dose dependence of the toxic effect of the drilling fluid was also established by the indicators of the dynamics of body weight gain, the activity of cytolytic enzymes, as well as the picture of peripheral blood. The features of the general toxic effect of the drilling fluid that we identified, with its acute single effect, indicate the systemic nature of the toxicity and danger of the drilling fluid.