Top 12 Info Sources About Coal Tar Sealant Pollution

People frequently ask me about brochures and information about coal tar sealants.  With any emerging field of understanding, information changes and makes some materials outdated or obsolete.

Also, there really isn’t a one-size fits all kind of educational piece.  Thankfully there are a growing number of resources for all interest levels.  So here are some of the best that I know of.  If you know others, feel free to add them at the bottom of this list as a comment.

1. Best General Information Flier:

• Thinking About Sealing Your Driveway; Get the Facts by University of New Hampshire

2. Best, Most Up-to-Date Summary Article:

• You’re Standing on It! Coal-tar-based and Environment and Human Health, APWA Reporter

3. Best General Information Piece (6 pages):

• Coal-Tar-Based Pavement Sealcoat, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and Environmental Health by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)

• Toxic Trail Across the US, a Coal Tar Sealant Infographic

5. Best Video Summarizing the Problem:

• Two-Minute Summary of USGS’s Research into Coal Tar Sealant Pollution

6. Best Video of Coal Tar Sealant Fish Kill:

• Boone Fish Kill by Watauga Riverkeeper

7. Best Website by a Alternative Sealant Company:

• Gee Asphalt: Coal Tar Hazards

8. Best Government Website (tie):

• USGS: All Things Sealcoat
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Coal Tar Based Sealants
• EPA Webinar on Coal Tar Sealants

9. Best Map Showing Bans:

• US Coal Tar Sealant Bans and Government Use Restrictions

10. Best Picture Showing PAH Effects on Fish:

This list isn’t comprehensive, but it will give anyone a good understanding of the problem.  Feel free to share additional resources in the comments section below.