This week’s signing of the first statewide, coal tar sealant ban spread throughout the nation and the world. Response to the MSNBC article, “State Bans Coal Tar Sealants in Big Win for Foes; Toxic Ingredients Turning up in Water, House Dust, Researchers Say” has been overwhelming. The first three sentences of the article are compelling:
Washington state has become the first in the nation to ban toxic asphalt sealants made from cancer-causing industrial waste that have been spread over vast swaths of the nation’s cities and suburbs.
The toxic ingredients in coal tar-based sealants are turning up in ordinary house dust as well as in streams, lakes and other waterways at levels that concern government researchers. The chemicals have been found in driveways at concentrations that could require treatment by moon-suited environmental technicians if detected at similar levels at a toxic-waste cleanup site. The sealants are also applied on playgrounds and parking lots.
The article goes on to discuss the status of bans across the country, summary of research findings, and a quote from the EPA on the topic.
At last count over 200 comments have been received. Of course there are a few pre-recorded rants from the usual suspects and those who have a political ax to grind regardless of the topic, but many thoughtful comments were received.
Frequently these comments are just vapors that are here today and gone tomorrow. I thought it might be fun to summarize some of them to hear what many are thinking. I apologize in advance for my editing of the posts for brevity and readability and I have attempted not to take statements out of context. Views expressed here are not necessarily the view of this blog.
“Remember, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Yeah, but it’s sealed with coal tar…. Taterwheel
I think the state of Washington was smart to stop these toxins that are hurting people and the waters. …Mr. Cool
“…may suffer from lower IQs…”
Well, now we know one of the reasons for the dumbing down of America. Coal tar sealant is right up there with “Jersey Shore” for making us a bit more stupid as each day passes….PD in CA
sort of sounds like the tobacco industry arguments from a while ago!! They know the stuff will harm people, but they just dont care because money/profits trump moral responsibility every time…. Leprechaun1230
Well, I’m glad Washington State has taken this action – and the news story told me things I didn’t know. I have already sent this to my City Council member in Tampa, Florida, to get the same thing done here. ….John A. 400474
They’ve known about this for quite some time. Not only did they sit back and do nothing, they put it on playgrounds. That’s @!$%#in’ disgusting. …RiverDog1572451
Yay Washington State, keep it up. At lest there may be someplace not toxic to live in. But why is it we keep having to ban the use of products already in use. Should you not have to prove your product made from the toxic waste from another industry is safe before we start letting you spay it around? …Reliant
I don’t see that it matters that these carcinogens occur in other matierials, they are present in this sealent. It is a totally unnecessary item, easily replaced by a far less poisonous substance. What I don’t quite get is why it is allowed anywhere? I also would like to see lobbyists and others held legally responsible for advocating the use of unnecessarily dangerous matierials, flying in the face of strong scientific evidence. …rFaber9