Attention shoppers: Gulf spill could affect you

[Robbien]

Source: AP

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The calamitous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico isn't just a mess for the people who live or work on the coast. If you drink coffee, eat shrimp, like bananas or plan to buy a new set of tires, you could end up paying more because of the disaster.

The slick has forced the shutdown of the gulf's rich fishing grounds and could also spread to the busy shipping lanes at the mouth of the Mississippi River, tying up the cargo vessels that move millions of tons of fruit, rubber, grain, steel and other commodities and raw materials in and out of the nation's interior.

Though a total shutdown of the shipping lanes is unlikely, there could be long delays if vessels are forced to wait to have their oil-coated hulls power-washed to avoid contaminating the Mississippi.

Some cargo ships might choose to unload somewhere else in the U.S. That could drive up costs.

"Let's say it gets real bad. It gets blocked off and they don't let anything in. They lose time, and they are very concerned about that," said river pilot Michael Lorino. "It's going to be very costly if they have to unload that cargo in another port and ship it back here because it was destined for here."



Read more: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Attention-shoppers-Gulf-spill-apf-439747178.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=

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A rather long article but well worth a read. Article states over 80% of grain exported from the US is exported through this oil spill area. Coffee mainly comes in through the Gulf.

[Arctic Dave]

1. I will seriously fuck BP up if they shut down my coffee supply route.

No coffee, no worky.

[Downwinder]

2. Worst case scenario.

Nobody Knows the Trouble We'll See.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-moore/nobody-knows-the-trouble_b_561796.html

[Jefferson23]

3. How I would love to send BP the bill, for everyone this has an impact on.

[Nihil]

7. Keep part of it for yourself.

If there was no demand, there would be no-one working at the
edges to maintain a profitable supply for you.

Tell you what: instead of paying your portion of the bill,
reduce your consumption. That way not only do you cut back
on BP's profits (and Exxon's, Chevron's, Conoco's, etc.)
but you are both saving money now and preparing yourself
for the time when the oil gets scarcer anyway (Peak Oil).

Win-win-win!

[liberal N proud]

4. Could is not the operative word

More like will seriously fuck up prices of everything.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. And the oil companies will not hesitate to raise the price of oil, and ergo

everything made from petroleum derivatives..
http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm

A partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items)

One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:
Solvents
Diesel fuel
Motor Oil
Bearing Grease
Ink
Floor Wax
Ballpoint Pens
Football Cleats
Upholstery
Sweaters
Boats
Insecticides
Bicycle Tires
Sports Car Bodies
Nail Polish
Fishing lures
Dresses
Tires
Golf Bags
Perfumes
Cassettes
Dishwasher parts
Tool Boxes
Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet
Caulking
Petroleum Jelly
Transparent Tape
CD Player
Faucet Washers
Antiseptics
Clothesline
Curtains
Food Preservatives
Basketballs
Soap
Vitamin Capsules
Antihistamines
Purses
Shoes
Dashboards
Cortisone
Deodorant
Footballs
Putty
Dyes
Panty Hose
Refrigerant
Percolators
Life Jackets
Rubbing Alcohol
Linings
Skis
TV Cabinets
Shag Rugs
Electrician's Tape
Tool Racks
Car Battery Cases
Epoxy
Paint
Mops
Slacks
Insect Repellent
Oil Filters
Umbrellas
Yarn
Fertilizers
Hair Coloring
Roofing
Toilet Seats
Fishing Rods
Lipstick
Denture Adhesive
Linoleum
Ice Cube Trays
Synthetic Rubber
Speakers
Plastic Wood
Electric Blankets
Glycerin
Tennis Rackets
Rubber Cement
Fishing Boots
Dice
Nylon Rope
Candles
Trash Bags
House Paint
Water Pipes
Hand Lotion
Roller Skates
Surf Boards
Shampoo
Wheels
Paint Rollers
Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings
Luggage
Aspirin
Safety Glasses
Antifreeze
Football Helmets
Awnings
Eyeglasses
Clothes
Toothbrushes
Ice Chests
Footballs
Combs
CD's & DVD's
Paint Brushes
Detergents
Vaporizers
Balloons
Sun Glasses
Tents
Heart Valves
Crayons
Parachutes
Telephones
Enamel
Pillows
Dishes
Cameras
Anesthetics
Artificial Turf
Artificial limbs
Bandages
Dentures
Model Cars
Folding Doors
Hair Curlers
Cold cream
Movie film
Soft Contact lenses
Drinking Cups
Fan Belts
Car Enamel
Shaving Cream
Ammonia
Refrigerators
Golf Balls
Toothpaste
Gasoline

Americans consume petroleum products at a rate of three-and-a-half gallons of oil and more than
250 cubic feet of natural gas per day each! But, as shown here petroleum is not just used for fuel

Wikipedia
The following is a partial list of the major commercial petrochemicals and their derivatives:

* ethylene - the simplest olefin; used as a chemical feedstock and ripening hormone
o polyethylene - polymerized ethylene
o ethanol - via ethylene hydration (chemical reaction adding water) of ethylene
o ethylene oxide - via ethylene oxidation
+ ethylene glycol - via ethylene oxide hydration
# engine coolant - ethylene glycol, water and inhibitor mixture
# polyesters - any of several polymers with ester linkages in the backbone chain
+ glycol ethers - via glycol condensation
+ ethoxylates
o vinyl acetate
o 1,2-dichloroethane
+ trichloroethylene
+ tetrachloroethylene - also called perchloroethylene; used as a dry cleaning solvent and degreaser
+ vinyl chloride - monomer for polyvinyl chloride
# polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - type of plastic used for piping, tubing, other things
* propylene - used as a monomer and a chemical feedstock
o isopropyl alcohol - 2-propanol; often used as a solvent or rubbing alcohol
o acrylonitrile - useful as a monomer in forming Orlon, ABS
o polypropylene - polymerized propylene
o propylene oxide
+ polyol - used in the production of polyurethanes
+ propylene glycol - used in engine coolant and aircraft deicer fluid
+ glycol ethers - from condensation of glycols
o acrylic acid
+ acrylic polymers
o allyl chloride -
+ epichlorohydrin - chloro-oxirane; used in epoxy resin formation
# epoxy resins - a type of polymerizing glue from bisphenol A, epichlorohydrin, and some amine
* C4 hydrocarbons - a mixture consisting of butanes, butylenes and butadienes
o isomers of butylene - useful as monomers or co-monomers
+ isobutylene - feed for making methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) or monomer for copolymerization with a low percentage of isoprene to make butyl rubber
o 1,3-butadiene - a diene often used as a monomer or co-monomer for polymerization to elastomers such as polybutadiene or a plastic such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)
+ synthetic rubbers - synthetic elastomers made of any one or more of several petrochemical (usually) monomers such as 1,3-butadiene, styrene, isobutylene, isoprene, chloroprene; elastomeric polymers are often made with a high percentage of conjugated diene monomers such as 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, or chloroprene
* higher olefins
o polyolefins such poly-alpha-olefins which are used as lubricants
o alpha-olefins - used as monomers, co-monomers, and other chemical precursors. For example, a small amount of 1-hexene can be copolymerized with ethylene into a more flexible form of polyethylene.
o other higher olefins
o detergent alcohols
* benzene - the simplest aromatic hydrocarbon
o ethylbenzene - made from benzene and ethylene
+ styrene made by dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene; used as a monomer
# polystyrenes - polymers with styrene as a monomer
o cumene - isopropylbenzene; a feedstock in the cumene process
+ phenol - hydroxybenzene; of dassdcten made by the cumene process
+ acetone - dimethyl ketone; also often made by the cumene process
+ bisphenol A - a type of "double" phenol used in polymerization in epoxy resins and making a common type of polycarbonate
# epoxy resins - a type of polymerizing glue from bisphenol A, epichlorohydrin, and some amine
# polycarbonate - a plastic polymer made from bisphenol A and phosgene (carbonyl dichloride)
+ solvents - liquids used for dissolving materials; examples often made from petrochemicals include ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, benzene, toluene, xylenes
o cyclohexane - a 6-carbon aliphatic cyclic hydrocarbon sometimes used as a non-polar solvent
+ adipic acid - a 6-carbon dicarboxylic acid which can be a precursor used as a co-monomer together with a diamine to form an alternating copolymer form of nylon.
# nylons - types of polyamides, some are alternating copolymers formed from copolymerizing dicarboxylic acid or derivatives with diamines
+ caprolactam - a 6-carbon cyclic amide
# nylons - types of polyamides, some are from polymerizing caprolactam
o nitrobenzene - can be made by single nitration of benzene
+ aniline - aminobenzene
# methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) - used as a co-monomer with diols or polyols to form polyurethanes or with di- or polyamines to form polyureas
* polyurethanes
o alkylbenzene - a general type of aromatic hydrocarbon which can be used as a presursor for a sulfonate surfactant (detergent)
+ detergents - often include surfactants types such as alkylbenzenesulfonates and nonylphenol ethoxylates
o chlorobenzene
* toluene - methylbenzene; can be a solvent or precursor for other chemicals
o benzene
o toluene diisocyanate (TDI) - used as co-monomers with diols or polyols to form polyurethanes or with di- or polyamines to form polyureas
+ polyurethanes - a polymer formed from diisocyanates and diols or polyols
o benzoic acid - carboxybenzene
+ caprolactam
# nylon
* mixed xylenes - any of three dimethylbenzene isomers, could be a solvent but more often precursor chemicals
o ortho-xylene - both methyl groups can be oxidized to form (ortho-)phthalic acid
+ phthalic anhydride
o para-xylene - both methyl groups can be oxidized to form terephthalic acid
+ dimethyl terephthalate - can be copolymerized to form certain polyesters
# polyesters - although there can be many types, polyethylene terephthalate is made from petrochemical products and is very widely used.
+ purified terephthalic acid - often copolymerized to form polyethylene terephthalate
# polyesters

[Q3JR4]

6. I'm not in the least bit surprised.

I AM surprised, however, in that it took this long for someone to realize they could charge us suckers more money for the various sundry goods we NEED to get by.

Q3JR4.