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GasBuddy News Article

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Just like pelicans, people can't avoid oil either

usnews.com -- .Louisiana’s brown pelicans have more of a chance of avoiding Big Oil than you do.

..sneakers and bike have petroleum products in them. Sure, you can shut off the AC, but the electric fans you switch to have plastic from oil and gas in them. And the insulation to keep your home cool also started as oil and gas. Without all that, you will sweat, and it’ll be all too noticeable because deodorant comes from oil and gas too.

..can’t even escape petroleum products with a nice cool fast-food milkshake – which probably has a petrochemical-based thickener.

Oil is everywhere..petrochemicals are in our blood.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested humans for environmental chemicals and metals, it recorded 212 different compounds. More than 180 of them..started out as..gas or oil


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Submitted Jul 31, 2010 By: teafortwo
Category: Daily News Article Discussions > Topics Add to favorite topics  
Author Topic: Just like pelicans, people can't avoid oil either Post a Reply Back to Topics
REPLIES (newest first)
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honda0105
Champion Author Tallahassee

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Message Posted: Aug 2, 2010 6:23:49 AM

otoh, if people thought just a smidgen more about the waste they generate w/ throw away plastics, we could save a lot of virgin petroleum for other uses (and making reserves last longer).
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honda0105
Champion Author Tallahassee

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Message Posted: Aug 2, 2010 6:22:29 AM

oh yea, and when we all have headaches from the mess w/ the oil, don't take aspirin. After all, that's hydrocarbon / petroleum based too.
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honda0105
Champion Author Tallahassee

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Message Posted: Aug 2, 2010 6:20:35 AM

HiGramma: isn't it amazing.

Otoh, I'm always astounded how little the average American understands about petroleum and daily products. All they will say, petroleum is turned into gasoline. No one thinks of anything else.
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Blue48
Champion Author Illinois

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 8:59:06 AM

OK!
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HiGramma
Champion Author Michigan

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 5:53:49 AM

I know this, and yet it's still overwhelming how much hydrocarbon products have permeated our lives. The only reason I even learned it is because I've talked with the chemical engineers who work for the petrochemical industry across the river from me. Most of the people around me don't have a clue, and they're not interested. They don't like Chemical Valley spoiling our view and our fishing, and they probably don't like Canadians (in the bigoted sense). As far as they're concerned, that's enough for them to complain about. Yet they'll take their fishing rod and tackle out onto the lake in their freshly painted fiberglass boats, wearing their slip-resistant deck shoes and their polyester or nylon or other hydrocarbon-based clothing, picking drinks from a 6pack joined by plastic rings stored in insulated coolers. Basically, "Fix the problem, but don't take away the materials that make my life easy and comfortable." I'd just be happy if people were the least bit curious about it. Going Amish is ideal, but I won't ask anything of anyone that I wouldn't be willing to do myself ... and not even a lot that I *would* be willing to do if they didn't want to.
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NekoSJG
Champion Author San Jose

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 5:29:36 AM

Petro is useful for a lot of things. I wonder what happens to all the tire rubber that gets dispersed in the air from normal traffic?
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TIGERPAW46
Champion Author Florida

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 2:45:28 AM

We can't totally replace petroleum any time in the near future.
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DellDude2
Champion Author Nashville

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 2:05:55 AM

Why would I want to avoid oil? Oil packs a greater energy per volume and higher cost efficiency than alternative fuels. Those products that come from oil make our lives easier. Oil is not Big nor Evil.
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YLHandyman
Champion Author Orange County

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 2:05:31 AM

No we can't.
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ED6
Champion Author Riverside

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:57:07 AM

We can't avoid oil but pelicans do.
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Bruno44
Champion Author Texas

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:46:21 AM

The pelicans are the lucky ones.
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mvosevich
Champion Author St. Louis

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:35:30 AM

How did we ever survive without oil?
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Saturn93
Champion Author Salt Lake City

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:35:04 AM

Most people don't have any idea just how dependent we have become on oil and the commercial products made from oil.
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comprof
Champion Author Houston

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:34:53 AM

Good reminder.
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grouch311
Champion Author Illinois

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:28:38 AM

just like taxes, can't escape those either
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djtdi
Champion Author San Jose

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:27:54 AM

Sounds like a rerun of an old article,but still worth reading.
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runout9
Champion Author New Jersey

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:21:57 AM

As Lady Antebellum says: "Oh baby, I need you now!"

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jadeusa
Champion Author Dallas

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:17:05 AM

We do depend upon oil based products.
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plastic
Champion Author Virginia

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:04:26 AM

oh now what would this world be like without plastic!
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uptherefiners
Champion Author Chicago

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:03:41 AM

WOW

what an enlightening article

/cough/
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Quick68
Champion Author Columbus

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 1:03:34 AM

Pelicans don't know that people like BP is out to kill them and don't care how many they kill.
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judgemobile
Champion Author Ohio

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:59:38 AM

unlike the pelicans, the oil based (plastic)products which I use will not melt all over me and prevent me from moving around or obtaining necessary nourishment.
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JettaKnight
Champion Author Toronto

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:55:24 AM

GAWalv
Oklahoma City
"JettaKnight - DDT still works better that anything they have made to replace it."

Nuclear weapons kill everything much more efficiently, including us. DDT just takes a little longer.
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Rageagainsttm
Champion Author Tampa

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:55:12 AM

Oil is gonna be needed for a long time.
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aldog365
Champion Author Nashville

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:53:12 AM

Good reminder of all the things we use in dailey life.
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JettaKnight
Champion Author Toronto

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:52:55 AM

GAWalv
Oklahoma City
"Like it or not thousands of daily products all of us use are from oil and gas. All the way from the antifreeze in our cars to the appliances in our kitchen and the shoes that we wear."

The same plant oils that are used to make biofuels can be just as easily manipulated to manufacture various plastics. It's just a matter of which source is less expensive at the moment.
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GAWalv
Champion Author Oklahoma City

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:50:06 AM

JettaKnight - DDT still works better that anything they have made to replace it.
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JettaKnight
Champion Author Toronto

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:46:42 AM

CPGas1815
Michigan
"Well it looks like the human species may be evolving or is it devolving? Might the day come when one would need a medical remedy to rid our bodies of the petrochemicals that have infected us? We've poisoned our food with additives from Aluminum to Zinc, and we've fouled the air we breath with the tons of poisonous pollutants emitted into the atmosphere every second of every day.

Humans are a very resilient species. We've adapted and evolved many times during the eons of time. But this modern day assault upon our bodies that is causing the quantity of oil to increase is a horror story with unknown consequences. Might humans evolve to excrete the oil in our bodies? One could justifiably argue that would harken a devolution of the human species."

Resilient only to a point. Look how long it took to ban DDT in the western world... but not its' manufacture by US companies in third world countries.
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GAWalv
Champion Author Oklahoma City

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:45:50 AM

Like it or not thousands of daily products all of us use are from oil and gas. All the way from the antifreeze in our cars to the appliances in our kitchen and the shoes that we wear. Also the plastic bags at the grocery store, the plastic bottles and jars that have our food and drink in them, including water bottles. Our computers PC/Mac have plastic parts. All from petroleum products.

[Edited by: GAWalv at 8/1/2010 12:48:37 AM EST]
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REKEY
Champion Author South Carolina

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:44:52 AM

We know oil is a must. But we can at least cut back.
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vulcan96
Champion Author Ohio

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:44:21 AM

so, even if everybody had an electric car we would still need oil
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GasholeMI
Champion Author Lansing

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:40:21 AM

Doing without oil is like doing without food.
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Doosie
All-Star Author Anchorage

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:39:47 AM

oh, the tangled web we've woven...
and the greenies want electric vehicles...
but that won't solve the dependancy issues!
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TBONE3
Champion Author Pennsylvania

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:33:34 AM

Good information and an excellent reminder of how oil is an integral part of our lives.
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TheSicilian
Champion Author Jacksonville

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:30:22 AM

true we use it for a lot of things
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LocalSpyGuy
Champion Author Tampa

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:29:17 AM

True, petroleum is used for many different items. However, fuel consumption is the great majority of the total usage.
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CumminsFanOH
Champion Author Columbus

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:28:42 AM

Interesting information.
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panama303
All-Star Author Denver

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:28:28 AM

Drill baby drill!
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Gary65
Champion Author Toronto

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:28:24 AM

Nothing new there, sad to say.
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joel27nc
Champion Author Raleigh

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:26:49 AM

I knew that.
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altima2008
Champion Author Philadelphia

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:26:38 AM

You may not be able to completely avoid oil but you can cut down your dependency on it though!
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bobdec
Champion Author Florida

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:22:52 AM

We will never be completely off oil usage
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Buddy2264
Champion Author Tampa

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:22:23 AM

Let's cut out plastic bottles and grocery bags first and see how much we save. Conservation keeps your money in your pocket.
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Bonito
Champion Author Dayton

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:21:37 AM

Scarry thought here for sure. Oh, my friends and I played with mercury all the time, but we live in a different world now!
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Blue_Cruzer
Champion Author Lexington

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:21:13 AM

Oil is part of our everyday life, whether we like it or not.
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tedjm1
Champion Author New York

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:20:04 AM

I did not know. Not something I would expect to be in my system,
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marcGasMan
Champion Author Ottawa

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:14:09 AM

I did not know this
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gj35
All-Star Author San Diego

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:10:45 AM

All that petro in our systems couldn't be good for us.
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CobraLeader
Champion Author New Jersey

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:10:34 AM



... Do you mean that the humans have to look where they're walking? ...

... Strange, it will NEVER happen. ...
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Jarod13
Champion Author Virginia

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Message Posted: Aug 1, 2010 12:05:35 AM

As many other have previously stated, oil is in or associated with just about every thing in our lives. Even with alternative/renewable fuels being developed, we'll still need to continue using oil in many facets of our lives. We'll need to develope a substitute to use in all the other items that currently utilize oil in their production.
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