Why is crude oil a pollutant when it is naturally occuring?

[dave50]

Why is crude oil that is extracted from the ground considered a pollutant when spilled? It is after all created naturally and it must leak out all over the world espcially during earthquakes.

[chakka35]

I don't see why its natural provenance should make it less of a pollutant. If a pollutant is something in the wrong place and which is causing damage to that place (poisoning sealife; smearing and suffocating shore life, etc.) then what does it matter whether it is naturally-occurring or not?

Arsenic and many other poisons occur naturally but I reckon that you'd consider them pollutants if they got into your water supply.

[R1Geezer]

same reason cyanide is and Uranium and ........ perlease!

[To-Ryscum]

you did"nt think this through,did you dave50!

[R1Geezer]

Guess what Dave, everything is made from elements from the periodic table and I know you are going to find this shocking but some of them are dangerous! You can mix them into compounds and some of those are down right lethal!

[wildwood]

I don't believe it often 'leaks' thru earthquakes dave. Over the many many millions of years it takes from carbon life to turn into petroleum and the heat and pressures required, it would have leaked out of cracks well before it is considered crude oil.
Earthquakes mostly happen on predefined existing fault lines in the plates so the carbon deposits are rarely affected.

[Old_Geezer]

Were it to leak during an earthquake, wouldn't it still be a pollutant ?

"Pollutant" is simply a label we can apply to anything, and we use it where something is causing damage to its environment.

[bookbinder]

Calling crude oil (very valuable and beneficial stuff) a pollutant is rather like saying that a weed is a flower that's in the wrong place.