Air Pollution

In addition to greenhouse gases, oilsands operations release large volumes of pollutants into the air.

• These emissions include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter.1
• These chemicals are known to affect human health and contribute to air pollution problems.2

Producing a barrel of bitumen creates more than twice as much nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide emissions as producing a barrel of conventional oil.3

• Annual emissions from oilsands operations in 2006:4
  • 37,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides
  • 122,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide
  • 61,000 tonnes of volatile organic compounds

• Projected annual emissions from oilsands operations in 2015:
  • 196,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides5
  • 166,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide6
  • 300,000 tonnes of volatile organic compounds7

Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are major contributors to acid rain formation.

• Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which are downwind from the oilsands operations, are highly sensitive to acid rain.8

Air pollutant concentration guidelines in Alberta are less stringent than internationally accepted standards.

• The Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAQO) are intended to provide protection of the environment and human health, but only to the extent deemed technically and economically feasible, as well as socially and politically acceptable.9 
• In comparison with guidelines established by the World Health Organization, AAQOs permit higher concentrations of particulate matter, double the hourly-average concentrations of NO_X, and over seven times the daily-maximum concentrations for SO₂. 10

Even with the higher allowable concentrations in Alberta, the AAQOs were frequently exceeded by oilsands operators in recent years — with an increasing trend.

• According to a recent report, the air quality objectives were exceeded 1,556 times in 2009 in the Athabasca region, up from 47 times in 2004.11

updated March 2011

• 1. Royal Society of Canada, Environmental and Health Impacts of Canada’s Oil Sands Industry.
• 2. Environment Canada, National Pollutant Release Inventory, 2007 Summary, section 3.1.1.1 “Criteria Air Contaminants” (accessed May 14, 2009).
• 3. J. Bergerson and D. Keith, “Life cycle assessment of oilsands technologies,” Proceedings of the Alberta Energy Futures Project Workshop, 2006.
• 4. Environment Canada (NPRI), "2006 Air Pollutant Emissions for Canada: Version 1" (accessed December 22, 2010).
• 5. Environment Canada, “Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Emissions for Canada” (accessed September 11, 2007).
• 6. Environment Canada (accessed March 2009).
• 7. Environment Canada, “Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Emissions for Canada” (accessed September 11, 2007).
• 8. Environment Canada, "Acid Rain FAQ" (accessed March 17, 2011).
• 9. Alberta Environment, "Ambient Air Quality Objectives" (accessed December 22, 2010)
• 10. Michal Krzyzanowski and Aaron Cohen. "Update of WHO air quality guidelines," Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 1 (May 2008): 7-13.
• 11. Environmental Defense, Dirty Oil, Dirty Air: Ottawa's Broken Pollution Promise (2010) (accessed January 10, 2011)