http://www.climatecentral.org/news/tar-sands-impact-climate-air-quality-20376

By Bobby Magill

In one of the first studies of its kind, scientists have found that tar sands production in Canada is one of North America’s largest sources of secondary organic aerosols — air pollutants that affect the climate, cloud formation and public health.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, showed that the production of tar sands and other heavy oil — thick, highly viscous crude oil that is difficult to produce — are a major source of aerosols, a component of fine particle air pollution, which can affect regional weather patterns and increase the risk of lung and heart disease.

An open pit where tar sands are mined, with a heavy hauler truck that is used to transport oil sand to processing facilities.
Credit: Environment Canada

Aerosols from the production of heavy oil is a growing climate and pollution concern because new tar sands developments are…