Problems With Offshore Oil Drilling

• Offshore oil drilling has several downsides. Steve Allen/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Offshore oil drilling is a key to the success of the oil industry. With large oilfields such as the ones in the Gulf of Mexico so convenient to the United States, there are numerous oil rigs pumping out millions of barrels of crude oil that eventually become gasoline, motor oil and many other products. There are, however, problems with the practice of offshore drilling that make some opponents of the practice call for an end to this multi-billion dollar process. The existence of offshore oil drilling operations causes serious concerns.

Pollution

• Offshore drilling pollutes the marine environment 100 percent of the time, according to the Santa Clara University School of Engineering website. While oil spills can and do happen, they are not the only time that pollution occurs as a result of oil drilling. The drilling fluid used to lubricate the drill bits that penetrate the rock at the bottom of the ocean create a toxic sludge containing arsenic, lead, mercury and other dangerous chemicals that can spread up to 1,000 meters from the drilling platform and can be spread by tropical storms and remain in the environment for up to 40 years. When spills do happen, the consequences for the surrounding ocean waters are damaged for extended periods of time.

Destroys Ecosystem

• The ocean water's contamination affects more than just the ocean environment. Oil spills from offshore drilling operations destroy life in the ocean ecosystem for miles in every direction to some extent. Fish and other marine life are often killed as a result and may suffer from reproductive problems and other health issues if they do not succumb to the initial spill.

  The oil contaminates coastal wetlands after a spill. The oil drifts to land coating birds and other wildlife with oil and destroying a fragile habitat for many animals for generations. The 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by British Petroleum affected marine life, birds and those who depend on the ocean for their existence throughout the entire region.

Promotes Continuation of Oil Dependency

• Continuing offshore oil drilling promotes the use of an unsustainable energy source and continues the dependency on oil in everyday life. In the United States, the nation controls only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, but consumes a quarter of it, according to the American Progress website. Continuing to pursue oil in offshore drilling operations in lieu of using resources to create new sustainable and environmentally sound energy sources means the delay of long-term solutions.