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| Click on image to go to the Doctor’s website for more info. |
Yesterday millions of Americans tuned into CBS’ syndicated TV show, The Doctors, to see a segment on the dangers of coal tar pavement sealants. It is the largest television audience ever to hear about this. They discussed the findings of the Baylor University/USGS study about the cancer risks from exposure to dust contaminated with coal tar sealant. The host of the show, Dr. Travis Stork, pointed out that while this is being banned in many parts of the country, it is still being widely used. By our estimate, only about 5% of the nation is under a coal tar sealant ban!
The doctors explained the exposure routes and our younger children are the most vulnerable to this and many other carcinogens. Dr. Rachael Ross pointed out that the 38% cancer risk increase from this exposure is “huge.” They also mentioned precautions that families can take. This is addressed in one of our previous posts entitled, “What Do I Do If I Have Coal Tar Sealants on My Driveway?“.
Dr. Stork also showed our “coffee/tea test” which we’ll take as a silent shout out to the simple test my colleague and I developed. You can read more about the test here.
If you are new to this issue, then there are many things you can do from taking precautions, to removing coal tar sealants from your driveway, to asking your local officials to ban it, or even signing a petition to get Congress to pass a national ban. Your efforts to rid our communities of this toxin will yield benefits for generations to come.