Effects of Oil Pollution on Human Health |
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There are many different effects that oil pollution can have on human health. One effect is the pregnancy of women. There was a study done and the study showed miscarriages were much more common where there was contaminated waters, as spontaneous abortion was much higher than in areas that did not have contaminate waters. Another effect of oil pollution is the effect on general human health. Places that had contaminated waters showed increased amounts of dermatitis, malnutrition, skin mycosis, and even cancer. There is also a psychological effect on the people living in close proximity to the oil pollution. A study showed that the oil pollution resulted in contamination, losses of their land and culture, different health impacts, and much more. There are so many different human health problems that were caused by the wrong way of disposing these oil contaminants made from oil drilling.
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Chevron Oil Pollution in Ecuador |
In the 1960s the American oil company Chevron also known as Texaco started extracting oil from the basin of the Amazon rainforest. Ecuador has been named one of the only 17 mega-diverse countries in the world as well they are the home to native indigenous groups. These groups use the land to live and they are now getting sick and dying because of pollution from Chevron. When drilling for oil in the United States they are certain standards that must be followed. You have a well and then there is supposed to be a pit that is lined with tear and heat resistant where the oil waste goes. Any remaining toxic water is then re-injected back into the ground and the site is restored to its natural state. These standards were not followed in Ecuador though. Chevron did not re-inject the toxic water into the ground and instead drained the water through pipes into rivers and streams. Chevron also did not line their waste pits properly which resulted in toxins seeping into groundwater. There was an estimated of 16 billion tons of toxic waste dumped into the Amazon.
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Texaco vs. Indigenous People of Ecuador |
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Beginning in the 1960s Texaco came to North Eastern Ecuador to tap into one of the largest oil reserves in North America. In over 23 years Texaco pumped over 1.5 billion barrels of oil. When Texaco would finish with their drilling pits they would leave the waste pits and weren't touched for decades. The scientific expert that is helping the people who are suing Texaco says that Texaco would not have been able to get away with something like this in the United States. The Ecuadorian Amazon is home to eight indigenous nationalities. These indigenous people were using the rivers and streams to bathe, drink and fish all while there was toxic waste being dumped into them. They even told the indigenous people that the oil was filled with good vitamins and minerals. The toxins found in the soils were found to cause brain damage, kidney damage, blood poisoning, cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and ultimately death.
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