When Standard Oil Company introduced petrochemicals to the world in 1920, no one could have possibly imagined how these substances would affect civilisations around the globe. Today, petrochemical and petroleum products can be found in nearly every industry, from food production to clothing to transportation. Here is a brief description of how petroleum is produced and; as it would be nearly impossible to list every product containing petroleum, we will provide a list of some of the most common.

Petroleum (oil) is thick and black, but through the refining process, this raw material can be used to make thousands of products; petrochemicals are a broad term for chemicals created by combining oil by-products with other chemicals in order to form new substances. Common petrochemicals include ethylene, propylene and benzene.

As stated previously, the number of products containing petrochemicals is staggering, numbering into the thousands. Some everyday products containing petroleum include; solvents, ink, CD/DVD players, tape, house paint, rubbing alcohol and epoxy. Some products that contain petroleum are a little more surprising, including; hand lotion, detergents, shampoo, sweaters, soap, vitamins, toothpaste, shaving cream and aspirin.

Petrochemical and petroleum products do have some health and safety considerations; some products, such as antifreeze, contain additives that can be fatal to animals and humans; others, when combined with the wrong type of chemicals can cause caustic reactions (i.e. ammonia and bleach). Another health concern is the damage that ingesting some of these petrochemicals can cause, even if they are labelled “edible”; these concerns have led to an increased demand for organic products.