Аннотация
The process of drilling wells is accompanied by the formation of drilling waste with varying degrees of environmental hazard. During drilling, the primary environmental contaminants are underground waters (geological environment), hydrosphere, and lithosphere (open water bodies, waterbed areas, soil-plant cover). Pollution sources arise from the drilling process itself. These are generally classified into two groups: permanent and temporary. It is noteworthy that technological drilling waste, which accumulates and is stored directly at the drilling site, poses the greatest danger to the natural environment. With the increase in drilling depths and the expansion of the range of drilling fluids and reagents used, emissions into the ecosystem have also increased. As a result, the danger posed by drilling waste, which contains various pollutants, is growing. Therefore, studying the composition, comparative analysis in relation to the maximum allowable concentrations, the degree of danger, and the impact of these concentrations on water and soil environments remain critical issues today. The article presented focuses on analyzing the composition of drilling waste, determining the concentrations of harmful substances, comparing them with maximum allowable concentrations, and assessing ecological risks. A correlation between actual and maximum allowable concentrations of heavy metals in drilling waste was established. A relationship was found between the frequency of exceeding actual heavy metal concentrations relative to their maximum allowable concentrations and the consequences for the first two danger classes. The ecological risk assessment due to the harmful effects of heavy metals in drilling sludge is also provided. Keywords: environment; drilling waste; ecological risk; maximum allowable concentration.