Abstract: The heavy metal barium in the formation and aggravating agent is the characteristic pollutant of polysulfonate drilling cuttings.In order to clarify the pollution characteristics introduced by different forms of barium, distinguish the types of toxicity and harm,samples from polysulfonate drilling and the reducing soil after high-temperature pyrolysis in a typical oil and gas exploitation area in China were collected. The contents of total barium, water-soluble barium and barium in the form of barium carbonate were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and were converted into the content of corresponding barium compounds in Identification Standards for Hazardous Wastes - Identification for Toxic Substance Content (GB 5085.6-2007). The toxic and dangerous characteristics of polysulfonate cuttings and reducing soil were analyzed. The research showed that the content of barium in drilling cuttings was much higher than those of other heavy metals, but the leaching level of barium was far below the limit of Identification Standards for Hazardous Wastes- Identification for Extraction Toxicity (GB 5085.3-2007). The main reason for the low barium leaching concentration was that barium mainly existed in the form of barium sulfate, but not in the form of water-soluble barium and barium carbonate. The above detection method to distinguish different forms of barium in cuttings can provide a reference for scientifically identifying barium-containing toxic substances in cuttings and evaluating their toxic and dangerous characteristics.