Oil sands are naturally occurring deposits of petroleum found mixed with sand, clay and water. Such oil sands are found across the globe but are predominant in Canada and Venezuela. In Canada, oil sands are a multibillion dollar industry. However, many also point to oil sand operations as polluting the environment.
Oil sand operations in Alberta, Canada have been heatedly debated for years. A recent Alberta government study, which indicated that toxins occurring in the Athabasca River system were naturally occurring, caused other scientists to look further into the study’s conclusions. The newest study, which contradicts the Alberta government study entirely, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The new study, which was coauthored by two University of Alberta scientists, David Schindler and Erin Kelly, found that 13 different toxins were being put into the Athabasca River system through local oil sand operations. These toxins include lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. These toxins are extremely dangerous and are considered as such even at low concentrations.
The scientists are greatly concerned with the welfare of the fish in the river system as well as the people consuming the fish. Fish tend to bioaccumulate such toxins meaning there with be a higher concentration in the fish than in the river itself. Schindler stated: “I worry about some of [the toxins], like mercury, because there, parts per trillion [in the river] translate into parts per million in fish.”
The most recent data prior to this was through the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, which is funded by the oil sands industry and backed by the Alberta government. Their findings indicated that the Athabasca River system was reflecting little to no harm from oil sand developments. Their most recent information from 2009 indicates that they believe the river to be equal to the time before oil sands were being developed.
