This is a guest article focused on the environmental effects of domestic oil
refinery use from Mesothelioma.com, a leading web resource for information about
mesothelioma cancer and its various causes.
CFCs and Fossil Fuels Have Short, Long Tail Effects
Often when considering the environmental hazards presented by human behavior, we fail to
see further than the direct effect on our planet. However, if we examine further, we can
gather that our behavior is affecting not only the earth we live on but also the general
human condition. There are essentially two levels to the damage posed by destructive
environmental actions. Let’s examine each of them in depth for a better comprehension of
this hazard.
The first adverse effects are the direct human health costs associated with the burning
of fossil fuels and the release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs, associated with atmospheric
ozone depletion) in the atmosphere. Asthma rates in areas with high smog indices
(associated with fossil fuel pollution) are near double that in smog neutral areas. In
South Africa and Australia, where the ozone is among the most depleted on the planet,
skin cancer rates are astronomically high, as UV rays piercing through our atmosphere are
that much more intense. These are the very real and direct impacts of destructive
environmental behavior and energy policies.
The second tier that I wish to bring more attention to is the working conditions in the
processing of fossil fuels, which present some of the greatest occupational hazards of
any jobsite. Oil refineries and coal plants are loaded with older asbestos insulation
fixtures, which have been directly linked to the deadly asbestos cancer, mesothelioma.
Even as asbestos was banned in the late 1970s, older asbestos fixtures (which are much
more hazardous) still pervade this industry. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge
in the lining of the lungs and abdomen, which lays the groundwork for mesothelioma and
other deadly respiratory complications many years down the road. Harmful asbestos
exposures are not the only hazard in these industries, however. Countless other
industrial hazards such as benzene, which has been classified as a carcinogen, also have
been clearly linked to the processing of fossil fuels and other dirty industries.
We can see now that the effects of destructive environmental behavior go well beyond the
direct impact on the planet. We are beginning to see now that our current paradigm may
ultimately cost lives if we don’t change our ways. Through change, we will preserve the
planet for our children and the lives of its inhabitants today.
Thank you Jennifer Miller!
