Beyond the Pump
Gas Prices Affect Everything, EveryoneBy JOSELYN KING Political Writer
Article Photos
WHEELING - Those who play acoustic guitar know the price of music is just a little more expensive these days - and they can blame the rising price of oil.
While drivers see it's costing more to fill up their tanks, they may not realize that added expenses don't stop at the gas pumps.
Nylon guitar strings such as those found on an acoustic guitar are among the many everyday items Americans use that are made from petroleum products. And so is most everything found in our bathrooms, right down to the aspirin in the medicine cabinet. The same is the case in our closets and athletic lockers.
This adds to the fact the rising cost of oil actually affects the price of many items as soon as they hit the highway - literally.
"The cost of roads is going up all the time, and so are materials to build roads," said Janet Vineyard, executive director of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association. "Asphalt is made from petroleum."
Motor oil, wheels, car battery cases and sports car bodies all have their origins in a barrel of oil.
Will the cost of a barrel of oil be coming down anytime soon? Vineyard is not sure.
"If anyone could answer that, they would be a rich person," she said.
Families, meanwhile, find themselves struggling to keep up.
"The price of food is outrageous," said Dana Walker, a resident of East Wheeling out for her daily walk with daughter Cierra Walker and infant granddaughter Cierayah Harrison. She said the daily walks have become common as she is driving less to save money. Sometimes she rides her bicycle.
"If someone wants to travel, they can't afford to do it," she said. "People are just struggling to feed their families."
Walker pointed out she has noticed the price of such items as a bag of potato chips rising, but also those of the toiletries she uses each day.
At C.A. House Music in St. Clairsville, Manager Tim Seidler said the store has managed to keep the price of guitar strings "consistent" - but only because the store is large enough to buy in bulk and receive incentives.
But that doesn't mean that prices for other items haven't been affected at the store.
"The electronic equipment we sell comes in plastic housing and casing," he said. "The plastic is made from petroleum. Drum practice pads are made of plastic, and so is the casing around the drums.
"There are cost concerns in general because it is costing more to manufacture a lot of the items we sell. There's a trickle-down effect."
Going into the bathroom, the toilet seat is made of petroleum - and so is the shower curtain, the toothbrush and the toothpaste. The aspirin in the medicine cabinet comes from oil, as do the deodorant, dentures and denture adhesive.
The health and beauty aids that contain petroleum go beyond just petroleum jelly. Soap and shampoo come from oil, as do hair coloring, perfume and lipstick. Antiseptics, bandages and rubbing alcohol all are petroleum products. Even antihistamines and glycerin contain products related to gasoline.
Moving to the closet, many clothes are made from oil, as are shoes and purses. Wrinkle-free slacks, for example, have small synthetic fibers made from oil that help make the wrinkles disappear.
The same is the case in the average athletic equipment locker, where the following items made from petroleum can be found: skis, tennis rackets, football helmets, basketballs and footballs.
Artificial turf also is created with the help of oil.
Outdoor enthusiasts can thank petroleum for their boats and life jackets, sunglasses, motorcycle helmets and parachutes. Golf balls are made from gasoline products, as well as golf bags.
Bicycle tires such as those rolling riders in the Tour de France also are made from petroleum.
Even children owe much of their enjoyment to petroleum. Balloons, crayons, roller skates and model cars all come from petroleum.
Barnesville High School teacher Heather Eberhart - a Barnesville resident - said she took a pay cut three years ago so that she wouldn't have to commute to her teaching job in Cambridge. It's a move that has probably paid off, she said.
"It's balancing out," Eberhart said, "especially when you consider the time and wear and tear on the car"
For the time being, the mother of two small children said she is making fewer trips to purchase items at the stores in St. Clairsville, and is instead waiting longer and buying more items at one time.
She no longer purchases one pack of diaper wipes, and now purchases the nine-pack.
Eberhart added that the impact of an oil-driven economy is being felt in her home, and she is among those waiting to see if oil prices and the price of those diaper wipes come down anytime soon
"I hope so," she said.
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Blackrock
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07-14-08 7:26 PM
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Where are Byrd, Rocky, and Molly? All raking in the far left greenie dollars while we suffer.
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Georgetwin
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07-14-08 11:30 AM
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MORE REASONS TO DRILL ALASKA!
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DrewfII
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07-14-08 9:21 AM
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Most acoustic/classical guitar strings are plastic as are many parts to those and electic guitars.
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WVneedsGOD
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07-14-08 12:36 AM
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Hmmm.. Do you think they realize that only the strings on a classical guitar are made of nylon and most acoustic guitar strings are not? LOL!
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theRev
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07-13-08 10:26 PM
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www dot lifeaftertheoilcrash dot net
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