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Problems With Abandoned Oil Refineries

When an oil company pumps crude oil, or unprocessed oil, from a well, the oil is not suitable for manufacturers to use it in plastics or for you to use it in your car; chemists must first refine the oil in huge complexes known as oil refineries. When these refineries are shut down or abandoned, then several consequences must be addressed -- problems ranging from the economical to the ecological.

Employment Loss
- Oil refineries are large, complicated affairs and may provide hundreds of people with skilled, well-paying jobs. If new legislation, or some other sudden, dramatic or unexpected event, forces the refinery to shut down, the abandonment of the oil refinery can lead to a sudden employment shock. Abandoned oil refineries may only employ a handful of people to patrol the grounds or handle the dismantling and sale of refinery equipment, leaving a large hole in the employment opportunities for a community.
Health and Safety Concerns
- Oil refineries left completely abandoned may be inviting for scavengers looking for metals they can steal, the urban homeless or "urban explorers" --- adrenaline junkies who enjoy exploring abandoned buildings. Abandoned refineries present dangers to these individuals: asbestos contamination, floors and ceilings weakened by years of neglect, wild animals, exposed sharp metal and the possibility of falls from a great height. Because resourceful people will find ways around locked gates, the only way to prevent infiltration may be costly monitoring systems or the expense of round-the-clock monitoring by an on-site security guard.
Environmental Pollution
- Refining oil is dirty business, and abandoned refineries may contain hazardous chemicals or improperly disposed of chemicals when the refinery closed. As a result, abandoned oil refineries or refining sites are Environmental Protection Agency Superfund properties; oil refineries can contain toxins, including heavy metals like lead, arsenic, chromium and mercury; benzene and derivatives, including pyrene, xylene and toluene; asbestos; phenols; hydrochloric acid; and ammonia. These chemicals can pollute the air, soil and groundwater around the oil refinery, and cleanup costs can be substantial.
Land Reuse
- Abandoned oil refineries can make it tough to reuse that property. The existing buildings and support infrastructure must be carefully dismantled and disposed of; frequently, contamination requires extensive --- and costly --- soil remediation before the plot can be safely inhabited. In some cases, bacteria may be introduced to help speed biological breakdowns of hazardous chemicals; in others, the soil itself may need to be removed, buried safely far away from human habitation, then replaced.

Nature