Oil & Gas: Part of Everyday Life
How many petroleum products did you use today?
It’s nearly impossible to go 24 hours without using, wearing or eating something that oil and gas has had a hand in.
According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), Canadians used 110 billion litres of refined oil products in 2018. Oil is an important part of daily life in Canada and throughout the world for transportation, heating our homes, and making plastics used in clothing, electronics and more.
You see, the average barrel of oil does much more than just put gas in your car. After crude oil is removed from the ground, it is sent to a refinery where different parts of the crude oil are separated into useable petroleum products. Those are used to create a wide range of everyday items.
From appliances and home finishings to fresh produce and clothing fabric, oil and gas plays a part in nearly every item in this photo.
Here are just a few examples of the more than 6,000 everyday products made using petroleum by-products:
Bicycle tires
Mops
Upholstery
Nail polish
Sports bras
Rubbing alcohol
Dentures
Electrician’s tape
Guitar strings
Golf balls
Do you use or consume anything from this list daily?
Fresh fruit
Fresh vegetables
Cotton sheets
Vitamins
Cotton balls
Tissues (Kleenex)
No, none of these are made from petroleum by-products, however… oil and natural gas played a part in the packaging, the ink on stickers and labels, the bags you carry them home in, as well as the transportation and storage of all these items.
Oil and natural gas are an integral part of our everyday lives. Want to test your knowledge of which items are made with petroleum by-products? Take our interactive quiz and see how you score!
