Keeping It Real: Facts You May Not Have Known About Oil
Posted on: 20 January 2015
It is estimated that the United States uses more than 19.5 million barrels of oil per day. This is 25 percent of the daily consumption of oil, making the United States the largest consumer in the world. The use of oil can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago, and more than 84 million barrels of oil are used across the world every day. The use of its products, however, has generated much debate surrounding its relationship and contribution to such issues as global warming and behavioral disorders.
As the concerns about the drilling, transportation, production and use of oil and its products continues to be debated, here are some surprising facts about oil that you may not already know.
The fabric of our lives
Everyone probably already understands that petroleum is the main product that is made from crude oil. 50 percent of the crude oil that is used in the United States is used in the transportation industry, but not all of this is necessarily used to make petroleum. The various oils that are used to keep your car in working order are all made from oil. So are the tires and various plastic parts and synthetic fabrics (such as polyester, nylon, vinyl and acrylic) that were used in manufacturing the car.
However, some of the most surprising things to be made from oil (the other 50 percent) include denture adhesives, candles, nylon stockings, food additives and coloring (that can be found in everything from gummy worms to soda), vitamin supplements as well as your favorite fabric softener. It can be safely said that oil based products are everywhere.
The water and the oil
There have been some much publicized oil spills over the years, including the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. It is recorded as the largest spill in history with a loss of 4.2 million barrels. However, only about 5 percent of the oil that enters the oceans or other water reservoirs are directly related to the oil industry. It is estimated that about 10 percent of oil entering the ocean comes from the residue produced at sewage treatment plants.
The largest contributor to oceanic oil contamination comes from natural seepage from oil deposits under the water. This is estimated to account for about one-third to a half of the oil that can be found in these water masses. Another source of water contamination is thought to be the runoff from land pollution that is generated from use in myriad vehicles.
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