Which products are made with a by product of petroleum? I want to know so that I can avoid them, for example, vitamins & supplements?

It would be nearly impossible to avoid all petroleum byproducts, as @opher mentioned. However, there are still many products that you can in fact boycott that could potentially make a difference. While I do not know of any vitamins or supplements that contain a petroleum derivative, petroleum byproducts are used in a wide number of cosmetics and beauty products, as well as over the counter skin ointments.

Petroleum jelly, which is known as white soft paraffin, is sold alone as a product marketed under the brand name of Vaseline, but it is also found in makeup, lotions, moisturizers, lip gloss, and medication. Products like Eucerin and Aquaphor also contain white soft paraffin, and skin ointments that have played an important role in treating skin infections, burns, and conditions like eczema or dermatitis also contain this ingredient. Hydrocortisone creams and antibiotic ointments consist of petroleum jelly in order to allow the ingredients to be applied to the skin, and the petroleum jelly itself forms a protective barrier on the skin which prevents moisture from escaping.

Lip glosses and other moisturizers such as Chapstick and Carmex also contain this ingredient. There was an episode of the Dr. Oz show recently that discussed the dangers of using cosmetics that contained petroleum byproducts and he talked about how much lip gloss the average woman actually ingested in one lifetime.

Considering that most or all plastics are made from petroleum products, and that nearly all vehicles (most cars, trucks, buses, trains, planes, motorcycles, etc. ) use one petroleum product or another (some use natural gas), avoiding all petroleum products and byproducts in modern society is nearly impossible.

" If you are trying to avoid using petroleum products in order to reduce your (our) independence on petroleum then think about substitutions: cloth bags when you go shopping, buying objects made of metal, glass, cloth, or wood when you purchase consumer products where there is a choice (keeping in mind how much oil goes into shipping or parts of manufacturing - a difficult task, admittedly). Think about recycling, and buying durable products made of recycled plastic. If you buy a picnic table made of recycled plastic lumber, for example, one that will last in the sun for a long time, then you're putting some of that plastic that is already in existence to a good use and saving a part of a tree at the same time.

The objection to petroleum jelly or petrolatum and mineral oil seems to be throwing the baby out with the bath water. Is petrolatum an inexpensive ingredient to use in medicinal products and cosmetics? Yes?

Is it unreasonable to use it that way? I don't think so. Unless you have an allergy to it, and it is being used in a way that is appropriate, this is probably one of the good uses of petroleum.

Finding reasonable information about petrolatum as an ingredient is difficult. The Internet is filled with fan sites and commercial sites and opinion sites. I chose to do an advanced search on the term "Is petrolatum bad for you?

" and restrict the results to coming from . Edu (university) sites. Columbia University has a site called "Go Ask Alice" that provides good information on the subject.

goaskalice.columbia.edu/4713.html Here is part of the answer (find the rest at the link. I'm trimming for space). >>>>.

. . In fact, the petrolatum in cosmetics can only be absorbed by the body through ingestion.

>>>>While spreading pure petroleum jelly over cracked heels and elbows is safe enough, there are other products that contain petrolatum that are not as harmless. Antifreeze, diesel gasoline, and many household cleaners contain petrolatum and can be toxic if inhaled.In these formulations, petrolatum actually can be absorbed through the skin. If inhaled or absorbed, products like these can cause reduced blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, weakness, heart palpitations, nausea, fatigue, and harm to organs.

>>>>There is a marked difference between industrial petroleum chemicals and commercial/cosmetic skin products that contain petrolatum or petroleum jelly. But because petroleum jelly doesn't actually add moisture to the skin, it might be a good idea to find an oil or lotion that you can use to moisturize, in addition to the protective and water-retaining properties that your good old petroleum jelly provides. Lots of over the counter things like hand lotion contain it.

I use Eucerin products, and it's in there. I'm sure many other brands use it also.

It's difficult to live without transportation, and electricity, two big sources of petroleum use in our lives.

But we can make choices when it comes to how much of it we carry home. Use cloth grocery bags, as mentioned, buy foods in glass jars or bring home things in paper or cardboard containers, find a store that lets you take in your own containers even. Look at the amount of packaging on other items.

And don't forget to look at the prepared foods you take home. Sausage, for example, could have natural casings, but it is much easier to use collagen casings (made from beef hide- but still, kind of gross), or to use plastic. Sausage, pepperoni, bologna, sliced cheese, candy, individually wrapped snack foods, etc. It is everywhere.

I remember looking at a sausage hanging in a deli window in New York City many years ago, and being able to clearly read the information printed on the casing "Casing by Monsanto."

It's good to be aware of what things are made of and stored in in the world around you. Recycle where you can, and take public transportation whenever you can.

Encourage more people to ride the bus or take the train, and you'll be saving more petroleum than you know. A whole huge category of inquiry here (I found for myself, but won't try to answer in this question) is "how many of today's plastics are made from petroleum. " There are different types of plastics, and different ways to make some of them.

We might explore what some of the non-petroleum methods are, and go from there. Good luck in your research and pursuit of a low-petroleum lifestyle. It's something we should all aim for.

As a thought exercise, here's a list of the items in my current view that are made with some sort of petroleum by-product: -laptop computer (plastic parts, wire insulation, ink, case, keys, etc) -Drinking cups (one adult, one kid sippy cup) -Tube of hand lotion (ingredients in lotion, plastic tube, ink on tube -Wall to wall carpeting (some sort of man-made fiber) -Painted walls and ceiling -Light switches and outlets (and lots of plastic parts in the wiring) -Shoes, kid soccer cleats, sandals on my feet (man made materials) -Foam swords for kid play -Plastic serving trays -Foam seat cushions covered in a likely cotton/polyester blend -Oodles of crayons Now, I'm wondering if by your question you mean "products you can ingest", since you use vitamins and supplements as an example. Sure, that list is a lot shorter, but pretty much any moisturizer, lip balm, and cosmetic product has petroleum by-products in it. I added a good chart of petrochemical products in the sources.

I'm trying to find a pie chart or some other graphic that shows what percentage of crude oil goes to what. Some petroleum products come from natural gas, which is accounted seperately.

I find this question a bit comical. I am sorry to say, but you can't avoid using those products with any petroleum by product...practically all of the plastic in the world is from oil. You cannot avoid using it... I am sorry just minimise your use.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.