The enriched lifestyle that many Americans enjoy is largely dependent on petroleum. Oil and natural gas provide 65% of our energy needs and 97% of our transportation fuels. Ink, heart valves, telephones, rubbing alcohol, sports car bodies, shampoo, and make-up are all products of petroleum. The connection between crude oil and these daily-used products becomes apparent when one knows how petroleum is generated and refined. These products are produced through a method of petroleum refining in which the petroleum is separated into its different components based on their boiling points.
Petroleum Is Everywhere
Consider the typical morning routine of an average college student. The annoying buzz of an alarm clock blares at nine and if, after much debate, the student actually decides to get up for class, she crawls out of bed, flips on the light, takes a shower, puts in her contact lenses, puts on her new outfit (made primarily of polyester), dries and curls her hair, puts on her make-up and is ready to leave. By the time she is done getting ready, it is about 9:59 a.m. (thanks in part to the fact that Sally and Maury are on the television at this time) and she must speed to campus in her red convertible sports-car. Just as she arrives at the campus and is about to park, a caller to the talk-show on the radio station is complaining about an oil company seeking to drill for oil and gas in his city. This is all the student hears before rushing away to class.
However, she agrees with the man because she believes oil companies destroy the environment and pollute the water and land.
Thousands of petroleum products are used and taken for granted each day by people all over the world. Consider our student of interest and discover some of the petroleum products used in her hour of preparation. The student is awakened by a petroleum product (her alarm clock), is wearing petroleum (her pajamas), and uses petroleum to turn on the light (the light switch). She has a convenient shower thanks to petroleum (the water pipes and shower curtain), washes her hair with petroleum (shampoo), and then applies petroleum to make her skin soft (lotion). Next, the student inserts soft contact lenses and uses a contact lens case, hair curlers, lipstick, deodorant, perfume, a comb, and toothpaste, all of which are petrochemical products. During the hour, she also watched the television, which is made in part from petroleum. On the way to school, she drove in petroleum (the body of her sports-car) and used petroleum to get there (fuel).
