HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES IN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES
Introduction
Oil and gas naturally are found in rock formations in liquefied and gas forms. It consists of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights plus other organic compounds. It is generally accepted that oil, like other fossil fuels, formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals by exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years. Over time, the decayed residue was covered by layers of mud and silt, sinking further down into the Earth’s crust and preserved there between hot and pressured layers, gradually transforming into oil reservoirs (2000). Oil, natural gas, and coal are the main forms of fossil hydrocarbon type fuels that contribute to more than 80% of world energy consumption and it seems that at least throughout the most of the century they will remain as the main sources of energy. A wide variety of environmental problems in burning fossil fuels — coal, oil, and gas is affecting the world today on great lengths. Coal, oil, and gas consist largely of carbon and hydrogen. The process that we call "burning" actually is chemical reactions with oxygen in the air. Carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2), and the hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water vapor (H20). In both of these chemical reactions, a substantial amount of energy is released as heat. Since heat is what is needed to instigate these chemical reactions, we have a chain reaction: reactions cause heat, which causes reactions, which cause heat, and so on. Once started the process continues until nearly all of the fuel has gone through the process (i.e., burned), or until something is done to stop it to prevent it from further destroying the environment.
Greenhouse Effect
The ones that have received the most publicity in recent years have been the "greenhouse effect," which is changing the Earth's climate. Acid rain, which is destroying forests and killing fish; and air pollution, which is killing tens of thousands of American citizens every year, while making tens of millions of people ill and degrading our quality of life in other ways (1995). Global warming, or the 'greenhouse effect' is an environmental issue that deals with the potential for global climate change due to increased levels of atmospheric 'greenhouse gases'. There are certain gases in our atmosphere that serve to regulate the amount of heat that is kept close to the Earth's surface. An increase in these greenhouse gases will translate into increased temperatures around the globe, which would result in many disastrous environmental effects (2004). Thus, the burning of oil and gas produces carbon dioxide, which adds to the supply already in the atmosphere, is increasing the greenhouse effect and thereby increasing the temperature of the Earth.
Moreover, some oil and gas industry operations have been responsible for water pollution, through by-products of refining, and spills. The combustion of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants as by-products. Pollutants include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals.
Natural Gas and Oil
Natural gas and oil is an extremely important source of energy for reducing pollution and maintaining a clean and healthy environment. In addition to being a domestically abundant and secure source of energy, the use of natural gas and oil also offers a number of environmental benefits over other sources of energy, particularly other fossil fuels. The use of fossil fuels for energy contributes to a number of environmental problems. As the cleanest of the fossil fuels, natural gas can be used in many ways to help reduce the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. An increased reliance on natural gas can potentially reduce the emission of many of these most harmful pollutants.
Conclusion
The total volume of waste generated annually by the oil and gas industry decreased substantially over the decade (2000). This decrease results from a combination of reduced industry activity and industry efforts at waste reduction. The majority of exploration and production wastes continue to enhance recovery of the current state of the environment. Discharges of waste were reduced and the use of recycling and beneficial reuse of waste streams grew substantially. These changes reflect people’s efforts to find environmentally beneficial alternatives to traditional disposal practices. It seems that human actions are causing global warming, but it is very possible that global warming is nothing to worry about and is just part of the global temperature cycle.
References
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