The impact of oil sands on the environment and health

Oil sands (e.g., tar sands oil, crude bitumen), unlike crude oil, is a comparatively "dirty" fuel. From an environmental perspective, there is ample evidence that pipeline spills, leaks, and ruptures releasing diluted bitumen can have serious implications for the surrounding land and water. From a health perspective, there is growing evidence to show that exposure to diluted bitumen in the short-term can cause mild to serious adverse events. The potential long-term adverse health effects is not clear. Approval of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, designed to carry diluted bitumen from Alberta, Canada through the mid-section of the United States, increases the urgency to understand better the potential harms of exposure to this product.