Researchers: Canadian oil sands pollution two to three times higher than estimated

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/03/researchers-canadian-oil-sands-pollution-two-to-three-times-higher-than-estimated/



Researchers: Canadian oil sands pollution two to three times higher than estimated
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, February 3, 2014 17:55 EST

The amount of harmful pollutants released in the process of recovering oil from tar sands in western Canada is likely far higher than corporate interests say, university researchers said Monday.

Actual levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions into the air may be two to three times higher than estimated, said the findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

The study raises new questions about the accuracy of environmental impact assessments on the tar sands, just days after a US State Department report said the controversial Keystone pipeline project to bring oil from Canada to Texas would have little impact on climate change or the environment.

Current, government-accepted estimates do not account for the evaporation of PAHs from wastewater pools known as tailings ponds, which are believed to be a major source of pollution, said researchers at the University of Toronto.

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