A park in Teaneck, New Jersey closed recently due to the discovery of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at a concerning level to local decision makers. The specific PAH of concern is the toxic benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) that was found above state clean soil standards.
The crazy part of this story is that the concentration of BaP is nearly 2,000 times LESS than what the USGS has found in residential driveway dust! If the folks there only knew that you could drive up and down the street and find dramatically higher concentrations where the community lives, shops and goes to school. Perhaps we should close all those locations or just stop casting toxic coal tar sealant throughout North America!
By the way a poll of applicators that was covered on this site shows that about 2/3rds of applicators in New Jersey use coal tar sealants. Poll of Over 1000 Applicators