1. n. [Drilling Fluids]

List of products considered unsuitable by the Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR) for discharge, including mercury, cadmium, and 'persistent oils and hydrocarbons of a petroleum origin.' OSPAR, formerly known as PARCOM, is a group of experts who advise North Sea countries on environmental policy and legislation. The group has been influential in establishing North Sea legislation on drilling fluids that has served as the model for other operating areas. The Commission has published lists of environmentally acceptable and unacceptable products, referred to as the "green," "gray," and "black" lists. The inclusion of hydrocarbons in the black list has been the driving force behind the reduction of oil discharges in the North Sea and elsewhere and has serious implications for the use of oil- and synthetic-based fluids.

See related terms: bioaccumulation,  gray list,  green list,  HSE,  OSPAR,  PARCOM