How Petrochemicals Affect Health of the Planet and Living Beings

India stands third in list of global cancer cases at this juncture. As per the Indian Council of Medical Research report, there will be a 12 per cent increase in cancer cases in the next five years worldwide. One of the major contributors, petroleum pollution has increased the risks of mesothelioma, lung cancer, leukaemia, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer and urinary bladder infections lately.

Petrochemicals are extracted from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, crude oil, etc. and are categorized into three categories; basic, intermediates and other petrochemicals. Synthetic fibre, synthetic rubber, polymers, synthetic detergents and performance plastics constitutes fall under basic petrochemicals. Consequently, intermediate petrochemicals include building rocks like olefins and aromatics, fibre intermediates etc.

The crude oil byproducts and chemicals such as ethylene, polyproplylene and benzene are used in manufacturing of various daily use commodities- clothing, packaging, plastic, cosmetics, pesticides, fertilizers, detergents etc. In the last few years, excessive usage of petrochemicals have led to its side-effects in food, health and pharmaceuticals industries, with agriculture sector being the worst hit.

In India, petrochemical industry plays a major role in the GDP growth. The sector has contributed 40 billion USD during 2015, which reached to USD 187 billion in 2020. Approximately, 42.50 million tons of petrochemicals products are produced in India. By 2025, it is expected to reach 49.62 million. Despite playing significant role in economic growth, petrochemicals impact the environment adversely.

A high amount of organic and inorganic compounds such as aromatic hydrocarbons, synthetic dyes, phenols, aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. are discharged into natural streams, which destroy aquatic ecosystems. The major pollutants generated through petrochemicals are nitrogen oxides, CO2, hydrogen sulphide, polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene etc.

Annually, petrochemicals share approximately 40 per cent of global market, and nearly 2 per cent of global oil is used to manufacture petrochemical products. The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers announced that Indian petrochemicals and chemical industries will play a crucial role in reaching the USD 5 trillion economy under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.

At present, waste generated by this industry has become a major environmental threat. With its increasing global and local impacts, the need is to search for green alternatives to petrochemicals. Scientists have found plant and algae-based chemicals efficient enough to be alternatives to non-renewable fuels.

With the environment-friendly technologies, and regular monitoring of generated waste, disposal of petrochemicals can be done efficiently. Additionally, regulated policies would be required to reduce the dependence from fossil-fuels in the long run to save the biodiversity.