Why it's called 'dirty oil' »

4. Air pollution

 

The oilsands emit a large amount of pollution into the air. For example, Syncrude alone releases 245 tonnes of sulphur dioxide a day. Sulphur dioxide is responsible for acid rain and those living in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan are concerned for the health of their lakes.

What is causing the pollution?

Oilsands upgraders in the Fort McMurray area consistently rank among the top 10 most polluting facilities in Canada. But the story doesn't end there. The oilsands industry needs a tremendous amount of energy and in Alberta, a lot of that energy comes from coal-fired plants — some of the worst polluters in the country.

Other pollution comes from the giant trucks used to ferry machinery and carry the oily sand from the mines. An Alberta government air-quality study found a list of pollutants was increasing in the Fort McMurray area despite being on the decline everywhere else in Alberta. That included dangerous hydrogen sulphide (known as sour gas) and sulphur dioxide, which can harm human health and acidify lakes and soil — too much for some animals and plants to survive.

Syncrude recently had to pay compensation to people living in Fort MacKay after a blast of ammonia from its operation floated toward a school in that community, causing students to throw up and become ill. Some were taken to hospital but no one was seriously injured by the accidental release.

What is being done?

The industry says it is working hard to clean up its air pollution. Syncrude, one of the major producers of sulfur dioxide, installed a device on its emission stacks that captures sulphur before it goes into the air. The company's website says, "since 1983, Syncrude has reduced SO2 emissions per barrel by 50%, and total SO2 emissions by 4%. This has occurred while crude oil production has more than doubled."

Suncor was the first to introduce "scrubbers" to its oilsands facility, reducing its sulphur emissions dramatically. The company is also introducing new kinds of trucks in its mines with very limited emissions. The company notes that overall pollution releases are on the decline at its facilities while production has increased significantly.

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