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British oil companies have doubled their estimate of the amount of
contaminated drilling waste thrown overboard from North Sea oil platforms in the
past 30 years. This follows a study by Cordah, an Aberdeen-based oil industry
consultancy, which puts the real figure higher still. Cordah says 1.3 million
cubic metres of drilling debris lies beneath British waters. Much of it is laced
with oil, which was used as a lubricant, as well as toxic elements such as boron
and cadmium. Marine biologists say toxic metals and hydrocarbons are leaking
from the waste, and they have called for it to be brought ashore to protect
marine life.