If You Thought the Alaska Oil Spill was Bad...

So does arsenic but that doesn't mean you want it in your drinking water (much of which comes from aquifers in the ground).

I am going to assume you have not done much in the way of environmental science and/or water and soil analysis for human and ecosystem health? petrochemical pollution due to run-off in urban areas is a huge problem for ecosystems and the services they provide. It is also toxic for humans since many of those chemicals are not simply "oil". Used oil contains many toxic susbstances that are harmful or fatal to humans and other biological life. The main problem is concentration. Non-porous surfaces sheet these chemicals into storm drains and concentrate these pollutants in local creeks or rivers and cause damage to those systems as well as the economy.

 

Just read the article. They should put links to the study in there for people to read futher. *runs off to look for more data*

 

Whenever you see that "rainbow" haze on the water in the street you are seeing petrochemical runoff. Now extrapolate that over the entire city including parkinglots, roofs, streets, highways, etc. That is a rather large accumulation. This is measurable in soils, waterways, and groundwater. It's pretty nasty stuff really.

You must also consider what you don't see. That which seeps out under asphalt or goes into the air as heavy particulate matter but comes back down before traveling far in the lower atmosphere. It's all there and accounted for even if we don't notice it in our daily lives. If you would like any more info on this type of stuff feel free to ask and I'll help direct you to it. It rather lead you to facts than argue political points without data.

Here is a great summary article on ecosystem health if you are interested. I'll link you to the quick summary rather then the exhaustive report.

Source:

"The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. From 2001 to 2005, the MA involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably."

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment Statement

Here is the EPA definition of surface runoff and it's problems.

 

*sigh*

Ok, I'll forget all of my training and education on this subject and defer to your knowledge.

 

are you kidding? you know how many cars literally POUR oil? our camry engine poured oil when we first got it, and a big priority for us was sealing that sucker up asap!

multiply that by maybe 20% (DH's estimate based on the cars that came into the dealership, think of the ones that DON'T get serviced) of all cars on the road. that's a damn lotta oil. a drip here and there wherever the car goes at all hours adds up to a LOT more than you may think!

if someone dropped just one tiny drop of used engine oil into your gallon jug of water, would you still drink it?

 

I've read their posts...

 

I've given you the link to the worldwide ecosystem assessment. Go read it.

As for morbid zombies. Is that what oil is supposed to do to you? lol Go read up on medical journals and look at how sick people are. Many of the increases in disease and sickness are from chemicals in the air, water, soil, food, comfort goods, etc. Do you think having butane in a chicken McNugget is not going to have some type of adverse effect if eaten enough? Have you looked at how much is spent on chemical cleanups or disease control in our country? We spend over $90 billion on obesity related diseases, $101 billion on smoking related diseases, and I am afraid to look at pollution clean up bills. I spoke with a guy who drives trucks (imagine that) for an environmental clean-up agency here in the Bay Area and he could only shake his head when I asked how much his agency is billing to clean up spills and point source pollution ranging from the large oil spill near San Francisco a couple weeks ago to idiots changing their oil in the driveway and spilling it into the storm drains. It's quite amazing what our lack of caring costs the economy and our people.

 

that's just ridiculous. :huh:

toxins in drinking water ARE a BIG deal. you can't avoid consuming water. you can't avoid toxins that build up across the food chain either, unless you eat only organic vegetables and fruits.

some toxins will affect prenatal development. some will store in your fat cells over the years and release slowly enough to not show much of an effect. some won't, at least as far as we know now.

we didn't think much of lead in our paints or asbestos in our insulation back in the day either. but these are all broad, unavoidable things that do cause damage at some point of exposure.

we all have a right to clean water. it's so important for a healthy society, nevermind the ecology. you may not care but many people do. and without the people who do care, we'd all be screwed.

 

LOL you should be thankful for people like us or you would still be receiving bloodletting for any disease and having your lips cut off for blasphemy in hopes of curing the plague. You would probably also believe disease and babies come from spirits.

In all seriousness. We study these things and realize their importance. Just rest assured that we are working to help your health and childrens future just like you work to make sure we have orange juice in the morning.

 

All of those are accounted for and well studied.

It's all about moderation and the uptake of these chemicals in natural systems. Do you know how they are cycled? I do. I still feel that a accumulation of these things beyond what can be quickly cycled is a bad thing for biological activity. Take for example, CO2 (carbon dioxide), it can't be all that bad right? I mean it's in our bodies and we breath it out right? Think again:

From wikipedia. The Lake Nyos disaster

"A pocket of magma lies beneath the lake and leaks carbon dioxide (CO2) into the waters. Nyos is one of only three known lakes to be saturated with carbon dioxide in this way, the others being Lake Monoun, at a distance of 100 km SSE, and Lake Kivu in Rwanda. On 21 August 1986, possibly triggered by a landslide, the lake suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2, which suffocated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby villages.[1] Though not completely unprecedented, it was the first known large-scale asphyxiation caused by a natural event. To prevent a repetition, a degassing tube was installed in 2001, though additional tubes are needed to make the lake safe.

It's all about concentration and location my friend.

 

If you lived in a hut on an island I might be inclined to agree. Sorry to bring it to your attention but you live in an industrial society and very little is under your control. What you drink and eat is very much in the control of others. Maybe you could grow your own food in your backyard but you better hope your water is not contaminated nor the soil.

Seriously, you need to go take come classes and read some books. I'm not saying that to slam you. I am being serious here. There is a world of knowledge out there and it's a great feeling to understand how the world works ecologically, and economically.