Angelique Wanek

Professor Tait
12/25/2017
Cuenca Reflection

Effects Of Oil On Human Health

For over twenty years, Chevron’s Texaco division has been drilling crude oil from the
Amazon Basin in Ecuador and polluting it’s land and waterways. Thanks to Chevron's
frugalness and uncaring nature, thousands of pits of toxic sludge have been drilled and
implemented all throughout the Amazon. As if that was not bad enough, Chevron instead of
properly disposing of their waste water or so called “produced water”, dumped the harmful
chemicals into the lakes and streams of Ecuador.
By repeating this action every day for years and years, a large majority of the Amazon
has become a toxic waste zone. A somewhat silent killer, for since this was happening in a third
world country, the regulation of this company’s actions was at a all time minimum. Yet, while all
this illegal environmental destruction was taking place, indigenous people who were living in
these communities, drinking local water and bathing in local streams had no idea what they
were being subject to.
As one can imagine, there are numerous health issues related to excessive oil exposure.
Once the news of what exactly Chevron had done in the past came to light, scientists from all
over the world were doing reports on the condition the Amazon had been left and in what the
indigenous people had been exposed to. In a report, it was said that the amount of toxins found
in the soil and water of Ecuador was “ ten thousand times more the allowed concentration than
legal by US standards of tolerance ” (Mediagrrl9,2011). Yet Chevron claimed that their dilling
had little to no influence on the surrounding environment. Just by examining the damage
Petroleum Hydrocarbons released from oil alone can cause severe health issues such as; brain
damage, respiratory damage, liver damage, blood poisoning and more (Mediagrrl9,2011).
The reason why a lawsuit was first filed against Chevron was because the indigenous
people who lived in the Amazon, were subject to high amounts of toxins for over twenty years.
These families were either told that “the oil in the water was filled with vitamins and minerals” or
had no knowledge of the pollution happening at all (Justicia, 2013). People were swimming,
drinking and bathing in the same waterways that these toxins were released into. Also, several
indigenous people had claimed that the contaminants had sunk through the ground and
contaminated their own wells. That and the overall burning of chemical waste, has contributed
to numerous health issues of local indigenous people. These health issues range from,
increased asthma conditions, skin rashes and birth defects to increase of cancer in adults and
children (Justicia, 2013). All in all, these people have been suffering from the toxic waste that
has become their home for too long, and they deserve compensation for their health related
issues, and for their home to be cleaned up after all these years. Chevron must pay for what it
has done!
 Ecuadorian Court Fines Chevron $17 Billion For Oil Pollution and people of
Ecuador (combined the two)

This court case was filed over the 20+ years of contamination Chevron through Texaco
has commited in Ecuador through drilling for oil in the Amazon Basin. In result, of that
information coming to light, local indigenous Ecuadorian people have sued Chevron for $18
Billion as well as a charge for the same amount worth of damages for the area. However, if
Chevron would have given an official apology the company would have only been charged the
$18 billion (Justicia, 2013). This is the second largest court case against a multimillion-dollar
company in the case of environmental damage, that has been deemed responsible for their
actions.
The ruling, which was by an Ecuadorian judge seemed pretty fair to all parties, until the
ruling was official. Then, both parties repealed the court case. Chevron, who had previously
asked for the case to go to Ecuador instead of the United States, claimed that the same court
was “fraud” and “bias” (Justicia, 2013). While the indigenous people also replead the case
saying that the money was not enough to reverse the damage done or compensate the families
hurt.
Since this ruling in 2011, Chevron has refused to pay even one cent towards the bill it
owes. In fact, since the ruling Chevron removed all its economic aspects from Ecuador in
protest against the lawsuit. This company has also paid lobbyist to convince the US government
from trading with Ecuador, so that it would suffer financially (Justicia, 2013). Chevron has
definitely left its impact on Ecuador, environmentally, politically and economically and it
deserves to pay for the damage it has done.

Chevron Oil Pollution In Ecuador

In 1960 when Texaco became a partner with Ecuador's own oil company for drilling oil in
the Amazon, nobody was aware of the lasting damage Chevron would leave for decades to
come. Nor the suffering Ecuadorian people would endure. Ecuador which is one of most
biodiverse places on the planet, has been under attack from human threat such as this
company. Over 26 years tons of crude oil were extracted from the Amazon Basin. Chevron
made billions of dollars while it polluted all of Ecuador.
Where did Chevron go wrong with extraction? The answer is, in numerous ways. For
one, when Chervon got permission to drill in Ecuador, they were told to use “ the most modern
technology and be mindful of toxic waste” (Justicia, 2013). This company failed to do so. The
company failed in the extraction system itself, for instead of lining pits to keep from toxins from
sinking into waterways and soil to put waste water and toxins in, they refused to lined pits. Also,
they dumped billions of tons of toxins into local waterway for decades, without remorse.
Chevron then left Ecuador with oil in the water and pits of toxins in the ground.
As a result of Chevron's actions thousands of people have contracted cancer, skin
rashes and numerous health threatening issues during their time living in the Amazon. Yet,
Chevron has hired many scientists to do test to say there is low environmental damage done by
the company in Ecuador and has attack any scientists from speaking out against these claims
made.
 References
Crazyjulieta. (2010, May 21). Chevron vs. Indigenous Tribes in Ecuador- The real price of
oil. Retrived from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx1s2JtfSLA

Justicia para Ecuador. (2013, Aug 13). The True Story of Chevron’s Ecuador Disaster.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_azgdnGBdh8&feature=youtu.be

Mediagrrl9. (2011, Feb15). Ecuadoran Court Orders Chevron to pay $17 Billion for Oil
Pollution in Amazon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeGVvsIwMRE