Persuasive Essay On A Pipeline

The recent protests in North Dakota has turned the world’s attention to the Standing Rock Sioux Nation reserve, where a section of the Dakota Access Pipeline will be built if approved. Native Americans argue that the proposed pipeline will damage their vital water sources and affect the whole reserve, making their water undrinkable and harming their health. Crude oil pipelines, usually buried underground, can easily contaminate water (“How Can You Identify Pipeline.”), which in turn toxifies the water sources communities rely on for consumption and daily life (Harris, Robbie). Water is the liquid of life, and they should be prioritized; however, unfortunately, oil remains crucial for a vast range of industries and both local and global economies, …show more content…
The last issue is contamination, which can occur even when all prevention methods are in place. When crude oil leaks out of a pipeline and into the soil, many harmful substances are released. The most major one is hydrocarbons, whose sedimentation in water bodies can easily poison bottom-feeding marine organisms (“Public Health Statement For Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH).”); imbalance in aqua ecosystems can affect a myriad of species and potentially harm ecological equity on a large scale. Hydrocarbons can also influence humans: if consumed through drinking contaminated water, harmful particles and compounds in them can biomagnify inside the human body and permanently damage the central nervous system (“Public Health Statement For Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH).”); in particular, benzene, a chemical present in hydrocarbons, can cause serious symptoms such as convulsion and irregular heartbeats, as well as death in particular circumstances if consumed (“Facts About Benzene”). These can affect drinking water by seeping into