Oil drilling has many harmful ecological and environmental effects. The process of drilling and extracting oil is complex and leaves many opportunities for error or accidents, the likes of which FEDIQUEP team members have witnessed firsthand. The piping used to transport and extract oil is made of metals, which can corrode. This corrosion causes pipes to rupture contaminates the land and waters which surround it. If the pipes do not rupture, contamination is still eminent via the large waste pits, often left unlined and open. Dust particles left from drilling may coat the surrounding areas, and flames from burning the natural gas found in oil fields cause air pollution. Lastly, oil spills, accidents, and illegal dumping of oil barrels and produced water lead to devastating ecological and health consequences that can last for decades. Many of these chemicals are detrimental or deadly to animals. Entire ecosystems can dissolve as a result of oil contamination.