Rethink Alberta - Tar (Oil) Sands Pollute Athabasca River

High levels of toxic pollutants in Alberta's Athabasca River system are linked to oilsands mining, researchers have found.

The findings counter the reports by a joint industry-government panel that the pollutant levels are due to natural sources rather than human development.

Mercury, thallium and other pollutants accumulated in higher concentrations in snowpacks and waterways near and downstream from oilsands development than in more remote areas, said a study to be published Monday afternoon in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Upstream and undeveloped sites exposed directly to the McMurray Geologic Formation, the natural source of the oilsands, did not show high levels of pollutants.

The study led by Erin Kelly and David Schindler of the University of Alberta also found that levels of the pollutants cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver and zinc exceeded federal and provincial guidelines for the protection of aquatic life in melted snow or water collected near or downstream from oilsands mining.

"They're all elements that are known to be very toxic at low concentrations," Schindler said. He added that natural levels of some elements are already high in waters in that area.

"Adding more is certainly not going to do the ecosystem any good."

Researchers at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., and Juneau, Alaska-based Oceana, a non-profit group focused on water quality issues, also contributed to the report. The study was funded by the Tides Foundation and the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, two non-profit groups with an interest in environmental projects.

Residents downstream from the oilsands have expressed concerns that pollution in the river may be causing increased cancer rates.

However, the Regional Aquatic Monitoring Program, or RAMP, a joint industry-government environmental body that monitors water in the Athabasca River and its tributaries, said in its 2009 report that generally, "water quality was similar between [test] stations located within and outside oil sands development and when compared to conditions prior to development."

The program has reported the pollutant levels occur naturally because of erosion of the natural geologic formation that contains the oilsands and are not caused by human activity.
Goal to test claims of monitoring program

The authors of Monday's study said they wanted to test those claims.

As of 12:30 p.m. ET, RAMP had not responded to requests for comment from CBC News.

RAMP's findings have been questioned in the past, but critics did not have any data from independent studies to compare to the program's data, the paper said.

The new findings confirm "the serious defects" of the monitoring program, the study concluded. It added that detailed monitoring, including the ability to distinguish the sources of the contaminants, is "essential" to control the potential impact of pollutants on human health.

Schindler said the levels of pollutants found by his study were easily measurable and "any program that cannot detect these levels has to be considered incompetent."

He called for Environment Canada to take over monitoring.

The researchers collected water from more than 35 sites in February and June 2008 along the Athabasca River, its tributaries, the Athabasca Delta and Lake Athabasca. They accumulated winter snowpack from 31 other sites in the region in March 2008.

The researchers chose sampling sites upstream and downstream from oilsands mining, with both within 50 kilometres of oilsands developments and near undeveloped oilsands sites.

They then tested the samples for levels of 13 elements listed as priority pollutants under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Act.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/08/30/oil-sands-athabasca-river.html

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[pitchingwedge1]

@daparkstaman522 I live in alberta to so go screw yourself moron.Oilsands polute on a horrific scale. Any idea what Bitumen is? Did you know that cat's scraping the surface in winter disturb den's and kill about 200 black bears and cubs every winter! Not to mention other wildlife they kill.But fuck it we might as well turn the whole earth into an industrial poluting and nature killing zone. You obviously don't know your own ass from a hole in the ground.We don't need oil!

[WineShire]

I rather get my oil from alberta then usa or mideast. as canada we should be burn are own oil till we can find greener solution. This attention is nothing more then shift attention of disaster of BP oil

[slapcompany]

The process of leadership is to turn your values into a compelling cause for others.

How has your manager contributed to your success?

slapCompany

[kimhunter2]

@jacintobandito yup, a bit of digging past the propaganda exposes ample oil reserves in the US alone. thank you for being awake.

[numbnuts234567]

The workers at the tar sands mining sites should be heavily exposed to these pollutants. These workers should show very high rates of cancer. Do they?

[indu24]

If you would like to help in this situation, please help us get the government's attention. sign this petition to reduce the production. the growing industry is too fast and too damaging.

If you would like to sign it, please contact me (message me)

[jacintobandito]

@perfectbark are you asking ironically or do you want me to actually go into detail? Sadly you do have a point though if consumption goes up oil will actually run out... but not any time soon, Canada has enough oil in the tar sands alone to power our country for 475 years and the world for 100. It is a tough subject, the world needs oil, oil causes damage... what would you suggest?

[perfectbark]

@jacintobandito

OK, so what is the world's proven reserve? and what is the rate of consumption?

[jacintobandito]

@perfectbark Honestly I will agree pollution is very bad, but you should know that International Oil Statistics prove that the world is not running out of oil, for every 3 tons extracted 5 new tons are found, that is specifically in regard to the oil sands. Do you know what would happen to the economy if oil extraction stopped? Do you know what would happen to jobs and unemployment, don't tell someone to get an education unless you can back it up THE WORLD IS NOT RUNNING OUT of OIL

[perfectbark]

@noftchks1

have you given any thought why America imports the majority of its oil from Alberta? Have you given any thought to what America's proven reserve is as of today? Have you given any thought about what will happen to the world when the last drop is extracted from the Earth's crust sometime by the end of this century?

You may want to take some of your own advice .... get an education.