Drilling projects operate on a 24-hour basis, disrupting our water sources, health, recreation and other purposes for which public lands were set aside and held in trust for the American people.Helping the industry creep closer to taking over our nation’s pristine wilderness areas. Oil drilling can cause disruption of wildlife migration routes and habitats from noise pollution, traffic and fences,Oil spills on land and offshore drilling sites,Landscape changes from well pads and roads.Oil and gas infrastructure and traffic spoil peaceful settings for visitors.
Haze and toxic chemicals and dust pollute the air and water. Machinery, gas flares and light pollution disrupt scenic views and clear night skies. Dangerous methane emissions contribute to climate change.
For example, each drill well generates tens of thousands of gallons of waste drilling muds (materials used to lubricate drill bits and maintain pressure) and cuttings. Drilling muds contain toxic metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium that may bioaccumulate and biomagnify in marine organisms, including in our seafood supply.The water that is brought up from a given well along with oil and gas it contains its own toxic brew of benzene, arsenic, lead, toluene, and varying amounts of radioactive pollutants.Each oil platform can discharge hundreds of thousands of gallons of this produced water daily, contaminating both local waters and those down current from the discharge.
An average oil and gas exploration well spews roughly 50 tons of nitrogen oxides, 13 tons of carbon monoxide, 6 tons of sulfur oxides, and 5 tons of volatile organic chemicals. Skin irritation and contact dermatitis are the most common health effects observed from drilling fluids exposure in human beings, with headache, nausea, eye irritation, and coughing.The effects are caused by the physicochemical properties of the drilling fluid.