Economic Analysis of Selected Offshore Petroleum Arrangements

As a result of the current decline of oil prices, exploration decisions are more carefully analysed than ever before. At the same time various governments have introduced incentives to reinvest in exploration and development in order to maintain or increase activity. As a result, most exploration decisions are now being analysed as "incremental investments". This has the effect of "trapping" investments in areas where profits are currently being made. This in turn creates serious problems for those developing countries which would like to attract exploration. The paper analyses issues related to sliding scale formulae based on the ROR, and the economic impact of the size of the area to which fiscal terms apply.     

Dioxin and dibenzofuran concentrations in blood of a general population from Tarragona, Spain

The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were determined in plasma samples of 20 nonoccupationally exposed subjects living in the vicinity of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI), now under construction in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain). The mean PCDD/F value was 27.0 pg I-TEQ/g lipid with a range from 14.8 to 48.9 pg I-TEQ/g lipid. All samples showed higher PCDD than PCDF levels. Although PCDD/F concentrations were higher in women (27.7 pg I-TEQ/g lipid) than in men (25.2 pg I-TEQ/g lipid), the difference was not statistically significant. While a significant correlation (r = 0.565, p < 0.01) between the age of the subjects and the levels of PCDD/F in plasma could be observed, no significant differences were found in relation to the specific residential area. The plasma concentrations of PCDD/F obtained in the current study are discussed and compared with the results of similar investigations reported in the last two years.     

Soil pollution in day-care centers and playgrounds in Norway: national action plan for mapping and remediation

Systematic geochemical mapping based on sampling and analysis of surface soils (0–2 cm) has been carried out in several Norwegian cities. The soils in the oldest parts of the cities are contaminated with metals (especially Pb) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Due to the fact that children are often in contact with surface soil, it was realized that special focus had to be directed towards soils in day-care centers and playgrounds. The first mapping and remedy program was initiated in Trondheim in 1996. Here, the importance of copper–chromium–arsenic (CCA)-pressure-impregnated wood in playing equipment as a pollution source for soils was documented, and a process was started with the aim to ban this product. Soils from day-care centers in the inner city of Bergen were polluted to a degree that required remediation in 45% out of 87 centers, mainly due to high concentrations of Pb and benzo(a)pyrene. In Oslo, 38% of 700 day-care centers needed remediation due to soil pollution by Pb, BaP, Cd, Hg, Ni and PCB. Removal of CCA-impregnated wood was necessary in more than half of the day-care centers The Norwegian parliament has decided to investigate all outdoor playing areas in day-care centers, playgrounds and schoolyards in Norway, starting in 2007 with day-care centers in the ten largest cities and five most important industrial areas. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has developed quality criteria for soils in day-care centers and playgrounds for As, Cd, Cr⁶⁺, Hg, Ni, Pb, zinc, PAH_sum16, benzo(a)pyrene, and PCB_sum7. The Geological Survey of Norway has developed guidance for mapping of soil pollution (sampling, chemical analysis and reporting) in day-care centers. Especially the sampling strategy has been developed in the period 1996–2007, and the preferred sampling strategy is to collect at least 10 samples of surface soil (0–2 cm) from (1) “original soil” on the site, (2) artificial man-made “hills”, and (3) soils used for growing vegetables. A total number of 2,000 day-care-centres are to be investigated, and necessary remediation should be completed before the end of 2010.