Environment Canada Confirms Oil Sands Produce Deadly Substances

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – Environment Canada has confirmed an increase in quantities of toxic substances produced by the country’s oil sands, including mercury, heavy metals and arsenic.

Data from the agency found the volume of lead and arsenic produced and eventually deposited in tailing ponds made by four companies jumped by 26 percent in the past four years, while the volume of other substances grew at an even faster pace.

The agency identified the four companies as Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy, Canadian Natural Resources and Royal Dutch Shell.

Environment Canada published over the weekend its monitoring of 85 mining facilities that produced tailings and waste rock. But the toxic substances in tailings produced by the oil sands accounted for just 10 percent of the total. The tailings were estimated at 50,000 tons.

The bulk of the toxic substances were produced by metal ore mines, which accounted for 54 percent, while 25 percent came from iron ore mines and 5 percent came from other mines such as diamond, asbestos and phosphate.

The report said in 2009 oil sands mines produced 322 tons of arsenic, 651 tons of lead and large volumes of mercury, chromium, vanadium, hydrogen sulfide and cadmium.

The report disputes the claim of oil sands company that to produce gasoline from bitumen, they follow green practices. International pressure is building in Canada for Ottawa to be stricter in implementing environment-friendly measures in the country’s oil sands projects.

The agency’s 2008 Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators report said Canada’s water quality is under pressure from various sources such as effluents from industrial sources, acid rain, household behavior, wastewater from urban and rural development and runoff from agricultural fields.

For the years 2004 to 2006, the report rated as excellent water quality in 24 sites, as good in 159 sites, as fair in 113 sites, marginal in 68 sites and poor in 15 sites.

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