Fossil oils - The Ecology of Building Materials - page 142

Table 9.1: Basic materials from oil and gas

Material Areas of use

Bitumen Vapour barrier, damp-proofing, mastic

Asphalt Mastic, vapour barrier, damp-proofing

Organic solvents Paint thinner, glue, mastic, impregnation

Plastics Sheeting, window frames, wallpaper, cladding, flooring, thermal insulation,

electric insulation, pipes, door and window furniture

Other chemicals Additives in concrete and plastics, organic pigments, impregnation, additives and

binders in pain and glue, constituents for the production of plastics

Oil resources are very limited. This is particularly the case for oil from the Earth,
where the supply is estimated to last 40 to 50 years at the present rate of exploita-
tion (British Petroleum, 1993). Oil is extracted by pumping if from subterranean
reservoirs to the surface. It is then transported to refineries where the crude oil is
distilled into different fractions, which are further refined at plants producing
paints, plastics or other materials. Extraction, refining and production of the final
material all cause industrial pollution. Every time an oil tanker unloads, tons of
hydrocarbons are released into the air. If an oil blow-out occurs on land or at sea,
oil and chemical tankers can go aground, leaving coastal areas in ecological ruin
for decades. The catastrophic potential of oil can be used as a political weapon, as
in the Gulf War when the oil wells of Kuwait were set on fire. The oil industry is
similar in character to the atomic power industry.
The refining of oil to plastics and other basic materials requires a great deal of
energy - as much as in the metal industries. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
and acidic sulphur dioxide are released during processing. Many of the pollu-
tants from the production process are highly poisonous, including hydrocarbons
from oil-based products or chlorine and heavy metals required for processing.
This does not affect the natural environment alone. Cancer and chemically-
induced nervous problems are more frequent amongst workers in these indus-
tries than in the general population. Children born with deformities are more
commonly registered in areas near to plastics factories than elsewhere.
Oil-based products, when used in building, can release transitory organic com-
pounds either as direct emissions or as a result of a chemical reaction with other
materials, e.g. concrete. Many of these pollutants irritate the mucous membranes
and can produce traditional symptoms of a bad indoor climate such as irritation
in the eyes, nose and throat, unusual tiredness, headache, giddiness, sickness
and increased frequency of respiratory illnesses. Other more serious emissions
have also been registered; these can cause allergy, cancer or embryonic malfor-
mation. There has also been a marked increase in deaths due to smoke inhalation
from fires during the last few years - one reason for this is the increased use of
plastic in buildings (Curwell, 1990).