 |
 Petroleum
Addiction
What is petroleum?
Petroleum
is formed from microscopic organisms like tiny plants, animals,
zooplankton, and sea plankton, which accumulate at the bottom
of lakes and oceans. The organic matter which contains an
abundance of hydrogen and carbon becomes buried under numerous
layers of clay, sand, and dirt. The countless layers of soil
cause an extreme amount of heat and pressure to be placed
on the organic matter. It takes this intense heat and pressure
millions of years to convert the organic matter into hydrocarbons
and then into petroleum.
It sounds
really gross
It
is really gross, but if left in the ground it is pretty much
harmless and you'd never have to deal with it. It's
when it's taken out of the ground and used that it becomes
a problem.
What kind
of problem?
Well lots of different kinds.
There's a huge amount of pollution and environmental devastation
during production, transport, processing, distribution, and
use of petroleum products.
In addition to the cancers and other health problems directly
caused by petroleum, there are less obvious health effects,
including weight and cardiovascular problems caused by car-dependence.
Along with environmental devastation, oil companies bring
corruption, wage labor, the destruction of traditional cultures,
and other social ills to societies all over the world..
Most
products we use today have some petroleum either in them or
used in the manufacturing process. In most cases this is not
because they can't be made without oil.
What can I
do about it?
As with any addiction,
the first step towards recovery is to admit to yourself that
you have a problem.
It's important that we do this as individuals, but even more
important that we do it as a society.
As an individual
one step you can take is to eliminate or cut
down on car use. Not everyone can get rid of their cars, but
if you can, do. Many cities now have car-share
programs for people who only need a car occasionally.
Two-thirds of the nation's oil is used in transportation,
and 40 percent of that fuels passenger cars. For information
on how to free yourself and your community from car addiction,
visit our partners at CarBusters.
Work to help your family, friends, and communities
to admit that they have an oil problem, and to understand
the connections
between Petroleum and Terrorrism.
Read about
the
Never-Ending Oil Spill.
Learn
The
Signs of Petroleum
Addiction
A list of just a few of the things that are currently made
from petroleum:
•
bags (garbage bags, shopping bags)
• balloons
• bandaids
• candles
• clothing (polyester, nylon)
• combs
• computers, calculators
• crayons
• credit cards
• dishwashing liquids
• disposable diapers
• eye glasses, sunglasses
• fertilizers
• fishing rods
• flooring (linoleum, tiles, carpets)
• garden hose
• hand lotion, cream, petroleum jelly
• helmets (bicycle, hockey, etc.)
• heart valves
• helmets (bicycle, hockey, etc.)
• insect repellent
• insecticides
• life jackets
• milk jugs
• paint brushes
• panty hose
• parachutes
• patio furniture
• pens
• perfume
• rope (nylon)
• safety glass
• shampoo
• shower curtains, shower doors
• soft contact lenses
• soft drink bottles, plastic bottles
• tape (clear, masking, etc.)
• tapes - cassettes, vcr tapes
• telephones
• tennis rackets
• tents
• toys, dolls, model cars
• tires (synthetic rubber)
• toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes
• trash bags
• tv cabinets
• umbrellas
• unbreakable dishes
• waterproof jackets, boots, pants
Learn more about the
risks of substance abuse
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