The extraction of hydrocarbon raw materials has always been accompanied by a negative impact on environmental components. The object of the research is waste generated during the drilling process. The subject of the research is toxicity of drilling fluids for Daphnia magna. The urgency of the problem lies in solving the problem of their use and disposal. As a rule, these are multicomponent mixtures, which, when released into water bodies and soil cover, can exhibit toxic properties towards hydrobionts and pedofauna. The purpose of the research is to study the toxicity of drilling waste to the cladocera Daphnia magna. The objectives are as follows: to study the effect of drilling fluids on the survival of daphnia; determine the effect of the toxicant on the reproductive function of crustaceans. The article presents the results of a study of the effect of drilling waste on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. During the experiment, the effect on daphnia of the liquid phase of both the original drilling waste and in the dilution range of 1:1 – 1:100 was studied using biotesting. Acute and chronic toxicity (4 and 30 days, respectively) was assessed by changes in the survival and reproductive function of crustaceans. It has been determined that in a short experiment, by the 4th day of observation, 40 and 64 % of crustaceans survived in the variants with the maximum dilution (1:10 and 1:100, respectively) of the drilling fluid. In a chronic experiment, the survival rate of daphnia decreased in proportion to the substance content. The toxicity of drilling waste also manifested itself in disruption of the reproductive function of crustaceans: delayed onset of sexual maturity and a decrease in the total number of juveniles. Based on the conducted research, the following conclusions are obtained. Drilling fluids exhibit acute and chronic toxicity to Daphnia magna, reducing their survival by 40 % when the toxicant is diluted 10 and 100 times, respectively. The effect of drilling solutions on the reproductive function of crustaceans is manifested in the inhibition of the timing of puberty (by 2–3 days compared to the control variant) and the overall fertility of daphnia: the number of juveniles that has appeared by the 30th day of the experiment was lower than the control values by 33–50 % (depending on drilling fluid concentrations).