Environmental issues with petroleum

  1. Articles to be expanded from July 2010
  2. Articles with invalid date parameter in template
  3. All articles to be expanded
  4. Environmental issues with petroleum


A beach after an oil spill.

The environmental impact of petroleum is often negative because it is toxic to almost all forms of life. The possibility of climate change exists. Petroleum, commonly referred to as oil, is closely linked to virtually all aspects of present society, especially for transportation and heating for both homes and for commercial activities.

Issues

[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2010)
See also: Environmental issues with energy

Toxicity

Petroleum distillates contaminate surface runoff and kill almost all life

Crude oil is a mixture of many different kinds of organic compounds, many of which are highly toxic and cancer causing (carcinogenic). Oil is "acutely lethal" to fish, that is it kills fish quickly, at a concentration of 4000 parts per million (ppm)[1] (0.4%). "It only takes one quart of motor oil to make 250,000 gallons of ocean water toxic to wildlife."[2] This is the equivalent of a concentration of 1 ppm. Crude oil and petroleum distillates cause birth defects.[3]

Benzene is present in both crude oil and gasoline and is known to cause leukemia in humans.[4] The compound is also known to lower the white blood cell count in humans, which would leave people exposed to it more susceptible to infections.[4] "Studies have linked benzene exposure in the mere parts per billion (ppb) range to terminal leukemia, Hodgkins lymphoma, and other blood and immune system diseases within 5-15 years of exposure."[5]

Exhaust

Main article: Air pollution
Petroleum diesel exhaust from a truck

When oil or petroleum distillates are burned (see combustion), usually the combustion is not complete. This means that incompletely burned compounds are created in addition to just water and carbon dioxide. The other compounds are often toxic to life. Examples are carbon monoxide and methanol. Also, fine particulates of soot blacken humans' and other animals' lungs and cause heart problems or death. Soot is cancer causing (carcinogenic).

Acid rain

Main article: Acid rain
Trees killed by acid rain, an unwanted side effect of burning petroleum

High temperatures created by the combustion of petroleum cause nitrogen gas in the surrounding air to oxidize, creating nitrous oxides. Nitrous oxides, along with sulfur dioxide from the sulfur in the oil, combine with water in the atmosphere to create acid rain. Acid rain causes many problems such as dead trees and acidified lakes with dead fish. Coral reefs in the world's oceans are killed by acidic water caused by acid rain.

Acid rain leads to increased corrosion of machinery and structures (large amounts of capital), and to the slow destruction of important archaeological structures such as the marble ruins in Rome and Greece.

Climate change

Main article: Attribution of recent climate change

Humans burning large amounts of petroleum create large amounts of CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Also certain organic compounds, such as methane released from petroleum drilling or from the petroleum itself, trap heat several times more efficiently than CO2. Soot blocks the sun from reaching the earth and could cause cooling of the earth's atmosphere.

Oil spills

Main article: Oil spill

Oil spills are the release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons into the environment due to human activity, and are a form of pollution. The term often refers to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters. Oil spills include releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) and their by-products, as well as heavier fuels used by large ships such as bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil. Spills may take years or even decades to clean up, and their total environmental impacts are not completely understood.[6]

Oil shale

Main article: Environmental impact of the oil shale industry

Winning of petroleum from oil shale creates pollution problems

Volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases or vapours emitted by various solids and liquids, many of which have short- and long-term adverse effects on human health and the environment. VOCs from petroleum are toxic and foul the air, and some like benzene are extremely toxic, carcinogenic and cause DNA damage. Benzene often makes up about 1% of crude oil and gasoline. Benzene is present in automobile exhaust.

Waste oil

Main article: Waste oil
Waste oil in the form of motor oil

Waste oil is used oil containing breakdown products and impurities from use. Some examples of waste oil are used oils such as hydraulic oil, transmission oil, brake fluids, motor oil, crankcase oil, gear box oil and synthetic oil.[7] Many of the same problems associated with natural petroleum exist with waste oil. When waste oil from vehicles drips out engines over streets and roads, the oil travels into the water table bringing with it such toxins as benzene. This poisons both soil and drinking water. Runoff from storms carries waste oil into rivers and oceans, poisoning them as well.

Mitigation

Main articles: Sustainable energy and Energy conservation

Conservation/phasing out

  • Creating laws to completely phase out the use of petroleum (Sweden's 15 year plan)[8]
  • Making use of petroleum more efficiently via better technology

Substitution of other energy sources

  • Using "cleaner" energy sources such as natural gas and biodiesel, especially in critical areas like cities where there are people.

Use of biomass instead of petroleum

Safety measures

  • Decreasing the risk of spills
  • False floors at gasoline stations to catch gasoline and oil drips from making it into the water table
A bird covered in oil from the Black Sea oil spill.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Toxicity of Crude Oil to the Survival of the Fresh Water Fish Puntius sophore (HAM.). M. S. Prasad. 2006; Acta hydrochimica et hydrobiologica - Wiley InterScience". www3.interscience.wiley.com. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/113520542/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  2. ↑ "Mother of all gushers could kill Earth's oceans". pesn.com. http://pesn.com/2010/05/02/9501643_Mother_of_all_gushers_could_kill_Earths_oceans/. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  3. ↑ "Pennsylvania, New Jersey – Philadelphia Toxic Tort / Chemical Injury Attorneys". www.lockslaw.com. http://www.lockslaw.com/html/petroleum.html. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Benzene Exposure on a Crude Oil Production Vessel -- KIRKELEIT et al. 50 (2): 123 -- Annals of Occupational Hygiene". annhyg.oxfordjournals.org. http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/50/2/123. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  5. ↑ "Benzene pollution - a health risk in Gulf BP Oil drilling disaster - La Leva di Archimede (ENG)". www.laleva.org. http://www.laleva.org/eng/2010/05/benzene_pollution_-_a_health_risk_in_gulf_bp_oil_drilling_disaster.html. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  6. ↑ "Hindsight and Foresight, 20 Years After the Exxon Valdez Spill". NOAA. 2010-03-16. http://vimeo.com/10216588. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  7. ↑ State of Maine (www.maine.gov)
  8. ↑ Article on Sweden's Phasing Out of Petrol Use (www.guardian.co.uk)

External links


...