The Virtues and Shortcomings of Oil Products Use - Essay Example

\ Research Paper, Other Subject Oil Products Affects Introduction: People use oil each second of the day for a lot of purposes of varying nature. Some of the major uses are fuel for cars, public transports etc and as for cooling as well as industrial purpose. Oil is a common term that explains a wide variety of natural substances of animal, plant, or mineral source with various synthetic compounds. Oil products are helpful materials that derived from petroleum as it is managed in oil factories. The main parts of oil products used as energy sources that includes “gasoline, fuel oil,” jet fuel, diesel, heating oil, liquefied petroleum gases, heavy fuel oil and other products (Potential For Human Exposure, 90). This paper discusses about the effects of oil products, especially in the content of environmental problem. It has both positive and negative side. The main areas that are affected by oil products are environment and people’s health. Benefits and Uses of Oil Products: Oil is a product that the globe depends upon for various purposes of energy. Petroleum oil is simply flammable and a substance which can be used in various processes to generate “energy” (Potential For Human Exposure, 59). Power stations which use oil are more productive than other sources of power. Oil is comparatively inexpensive and is distributed by trucks, rail, sea tankers and pipelines. All plastic is created from petroleum and these are used everywhere such as houses, cars, toys, clothing and computers. Tarmac used in the construction of road is a petroleum product. Similarly, paraffin wax is also a petroleum product. In addition, problem is also used in the production of pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, phonograph records, detergents, photographic film, packaging materials, furniture, surfboards, artificial fibers and paints used in upholstery, clothing and carpet. Besides, Sulfur, Helium and other valuable resources are also formed from oil. Important oil making countries include United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia. So, benefits of petroleum or oil products have brought enumerable uses to human society that includes quality of life, basis of income to traders of energy and dynamic prosperity to ever all human case. Environment and Health Effects of Oil Products: The environmental effects of oil products are normally negative because these cause problems to human life in general. Gasoline, normally referred to as the products of oil, it is closely connected to almost all aspects of current society, including its use for heating and transportation for both houses and for commercial activities. The environmental effects of oil products contain a lot of issues such as waste management, land use and air, water pollution caused by petroleum mining, a part from the pollution caused by processing of its products. In atmospheric pollution, oil burning makes about hundreds of millions of tons of solid waste yearly, including “fly ash to bottom ash and flue-gas desulfurization sludge containing mercury, uranium, thorium, arsenic and other heavy metals” (Horton 1). There are many health hazards caused by oil products. According to the World Health Organization the oil pollution are estimated to about “1,000,000” (Facility Response Planning 6) lives yearly worldwide, containing nearly about “24,000 lives in the United States ” (Terracini 5). Coal and its products release about 20 toxic-release chemicals, containing lead, arsenic, mercury, vanadium, nickel, beryllium, barium, cadmium, copper, chromium, zinc, molybdenum, radium and selenium, that are hazardous if released into the surroundings. Whereas these essences are trace pollutions, enough coal is burned that considerable amounts of these essences are released. The technical consensus on climate change and global warming is that it is reasoned by anthropogenic gas emission, which comes from burning fossil petroleum with deforestation and a number of farming practices being adopted. The energy industry’s environmental impact is different. Firstly, it was the use of for heat, light, cooking, and its use could be traced back as a minimum of about 1.9 million years. In current years, there has been a tendency towards the improved commercialization of different renewable sources of energy. The use of the resources of fossil fuel also influences climate change and global warming. In most parts of the earth, hardly any efforts are being undertaken to slow these affects. If the theory of peak oil proves true, and further investigations of feasible alternative sources of energy are made, the influence might be less hazardous to the environment. Rapidly improving tools can bring about a change of energy generation, waste management and water, and the production of food towards better ecological and energy practices using systems of industrial ecology and systems ecology. Chemical analysis for every individual compounds in the production of petroleum bulk released to the environment is normally unrealistic due to the complexity and difficulty of these mixtures and the expenses of laboratory. Deciding the chemical composition of releases of the petroleum is further complicated by abiotic, hydrodynamic and biotic processes. The longer the releases of petroleum product ……. remain is exposed to the atmosphere, the higher the change in chemical character and the harder it is to attain correct analytical outcome several step have been initiated to ensure that gas and oil manufacturer causes minimum harm on the environment. These contain drilling multiple wells from a particular location to reduce damages to the surface, applying environmentally sound elements to stimulate better production and restoring the surface as almost as probable to pre-drilling conditions. The majority of oil spills happen mostly during transportation, generally containing the tankers that are utilized to move oil from where it is produced to where customers need it. In addition, oil spills from transport have occurred significantly throughout the past years, and the use of tankers of double-hull gives extra protection. Additional instances of oil spills transportation through pipelines. It also causes some problems in developing countries. Natural seeps and urban runoff are main causes of oil pollution. Natural seepage is the main source of petroleum inputs in the marine environments. Urban runoff occurs from rain washing oil drips from machinery or cars and persons used petroleum into the sewer and using other inappropriate disposal systems. When burned, oil products release carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other air toxins, all of which create negative influences on the natural environment. Health Effects of Oil Products: Many unfavorable health effects of oil products occur to human beings. The chemicals in gasoline, mostly “BTEX” (BTEX Contamination 1) that are present in little amounts. Breathing a little amount of gas can lead to throat and nose irritation, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, nausea, breathing difficulties etc…. Symptoms from ingesting little quantities of gasoline contain throat, mouth and irritation of stomach, vomiting, nausea, headaches and “dizziness.” (Chilott 8) Some influences of skin contact with petrol include rashes, swelling and redness. Being exposed to huge quantities of gas may lead to death. The health effects of people exposed to gas for long periods of time are not fully known For the reason that people who remain exposed to gas are generally exposed to a lot of other effects which also may influence health. Some employees who are exposed to gasoline in their work have suffered loss of memory and reduced the function of muscle. At extremely high stages, a number of of the chemicals in gas, for example benzene, are known to cause cancer. Present evidence, however, does not explain that exposure to small amounts of gasoline causes cancer in people. Health is normally aggravated by three main issues, which include the incapability to quantify and identify the compounds released to the atmosphere as an effect of an oil spill, the lack of information on compounds in oil combinations and the lack of particular health values for the majority of elements in oil products. To describe the health implications connected with revelation to “petroleum hydrocarbons” (Potential for Human Exposure 51) it is essential to contain an petroleum compositions, properties and the chemical, physical toxicological and biological belongings of the compounds the majority often recognized as the key chemicals of concern. Conclusion: Oil products affect human life both in positive and negative manners. To the positive side is the growth of countries making oil and the negative side is the waste of the power and money gained through the sale and production of oil. The countries which are not engaged in the production of oil are also affected due to the cost rise. Oil products causes destroys and pollution our ozone layers. On the other hand it also instigates the change of climate. The environmental effects of oil products includes a lot of problems such as waste management, land use and air, water pollution caused by the petroleum mining, use and processing of its products. Oil products are also contaminates the oil well which kills wildlife, animals and the ecology might never be same again. On the other hand, oil products do have its positive affects on the atmosphere. When an oil spill happens clearly the ecosystems and the ocean and wild life are harmed for months. Works Cited “BTEX Contamination.” Hazardous Substance Research Centers. 1989. Web. 03 April 2014. Horton, James L. “Coal.” 2012. Web. 03 April 2014. “Potential for Human Exposure.” (n.d.). Web. 03 April 2014. Terracini, Benedetto. “Toxic Oil Syndrome: Ten Years of Progress.” World Health Organization. 2004. Web. 03 April 2014. Chilcott, Robert. Compendium of Chemical Hazards: Kerosene (Fuel Oil). 2006:Health Protection Agency. Web. 03 March 2014. Facility Response Planning. (n.d.) United States Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 03 March 2014.< http://www.epa.gov/oem/docs/oil/frp/frpguide.pdf> Read More