Canada's oil sands residents complain of health effects.

When the Labrecque family moved away from the 9 km2 homestead they lived on in northern Alberta in 2011, they left more than just a thriving business and an 80 year family history in the area. They abandoned most of their belongings too. The family left behind two-thirds of their children’s toys, their clothes, and even Karla Labrecque’s wedding dress. It was necessary, they say. The fumes from nearby heavy oil production that they believe caused them dizziness, headaches, muscle spasms, and even vomiting still clung to their possessions. Just coming into contact with their old belongings made them ill again. Alberta’s oil sands have long been controversial for their environmental eff ect; environmentalists around the world point out that the tar sands release more greenhouse gases than conventional oil production. But now residents in the Peace River area of northern Alberta say that emissions from oil production in the tar sands have been causing them severe health effects as well. The Labrecques are just one of several families that have moved away from the area because of symptoms they blame on oil operations.