Effects of Oil on Human Health Oil is a profitable and highly sought-after resource. Many countries rely on oil as a major source of revenue which furthers the need and desire to mine for oil and expand drilling opportunities. However, its extraction and exploitation often results in environmental degradation and negative effects on human health through contamination. In 1972, Northeast Ecuador, which is home to the Amazon Basin, became a hotspot for oil drilling and resulted in the destruction of portions of the area, including indigenous territories. The trans-Andes pipeline leak and unlined storage pits polluted and contaminated the surrounding environment. A variety of health and environmental issues occurred as main waterways that people relied on for drinking, eating, and bathing were polluted. Increased rates of cancer, rashes, and complications with pregnancies were only a few of the array of health issues this caused. Additionally, aquatic life and livestock suffered as a result of contaminated water which threatened and poisoned food sources. The year 1992 brought regulations to oil exploration in the Amazon, however due to conflicts with pre-existing laws and lack of regulation, the pollution and its effects continued and minimal restoration efforts have since taken place. The effects that oil extraction has on the health of the individuals exposed to it are devastating and emphasize the desperate need for a change in attitudes and responses. Many that are exposed and see these harmful health effects, including impoverished citizens and indigenous groups, are those who are easy for large corporations to push aside or manipulate. Support and remediation efforts appear to be a waste of time and resources for the large corporation of Chevron, resulting in the deaths of many innocent people. Greed and an absence of humanity are at the source of this terrible injustice and publicity is essential to decrease or eliminate the recurrence of these situations.
Ecuadorian Court Fines Chevron $17B for Oil Pollution In 1993, Amazonian residents sued Chevron, formerly Texaco, due to the toxic pollution resulting from the dumping of oil waste since the 1970s. In 2003, Chevron won the fight to move the case from New York to Ecuador, and has filed countersuits and got the US administration to remove trade regulations in attempts to coax the plaintiffs. In 2011 however, Ecuadorian Court decided Chevron was to pay a fine totaling about $17 billion, half for the fine and half for punitive damages. However, if the company gave a public apology, the punitive damages would be waived. Chevron refused to pay claiming that the allegations were misplaced and opposed scientific evidence, but shortly after appealed the fine. Amazonian residents also appealed, claiming the fine was too low in respect to the damages Chevron caused. It is clear that Chevron hopes to appear victimized despite its underhanded and inhumane actions and biased scientific data. The 2011 ruling was the first of its kind for indigenous people in their own state and affirmed the damages and effects felt by the Amazonian residents, helping to further justice for these people and the environment and hold the offenders accountable. There are hopes that the actions taken against Chevron and the audience it has reached will inspire others in similar situations to do so.
Chevron Oil Pollution and the Indigenous People of Ecuador In the U.S., oil companies typically follow certain standards for the extraction of the natural resource to avoid pollution, with Texaco itself having developed safer technologies. This includes the use of lined pits to capture toxic waste and prevent it from seeping into the ground before its removal as well as the reinjection of toxic water into the site where the crude oil was extracted, allowing for the site to restore itself in some ways. Chevron’s extraction of oil from the Amazon Basin failed to operate under these protocols in several ways. The company disposed of toxic waste water into rivers as opposed to reinjecting it into the ground, used unlined pits allowing for toxins and waste to seep into the ground and water, and burned off gas which resulted in large carbon dioxide emissions. The environment and indigenous people saw detrimental effects as billions of gallons of pollution, with contamination levels 100x that of the amount allowed in the U.S., plagued the diverse ecosystem. River systems are the foundation of these indigenous groups and this resulted in the contamination of water used for drinking, bathing, and fishing. Chevron officials told the natives that this oil contained beneficial minerals in disturbing attempts to cover up their introduction of an array of health issues, both permanent and fatal. Chevron directly violated its contract with the Ecuadorian government and attempted to hide and destroy evidence of their pollution. Shortly after the 1993 lawsuit, Chevron spent only 40 million on “cleanup” which simply consisted of covering polluted areas with dirt and left the pollutants untreated, claiming it was effective through the use of insufficient lab tests. In 2011, the Ecuador court ruled that Chevron pay 18 billion for cleanup and compensation though Chevron refused to pay and lobbied to cut trade preferences to Ecuador. Ecuadorian court used legitimate scientific evidence to qualify the effects of Chevron’s pollution, which the company dubbed as false. Chevron has also offered bribes and pressured key figures, including Ecuador’s president, in its attempts to maintain innocence and disrespect the rights of people. Despite these actions, the international community has banded together against Chevron’s attempt to falsify the scientific evidence. Protests among indigenous tribes fueled this battle and were essential in sending a message of intolerance to injustice and malpractice. There should be no excuses or exceptions to the regulation and protection of human health. Their presence further demonstrates that large corporations often act autonomously and need to be strictly monitored to avoid such discriminatory, contemptible acts.