The American Coatings Association (ACA) appears to have either a short memory or a change of heart. In 2011, their own website announced “ACA will not be advocating against state and local coal tar driveway sealer bans” because of “concern that these sealants emit high concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) that may impact fish and aquatic wildlife.” However, a just-released, industry-generated advocacy piece includes ACA as opposing the ban of coal tar sealer products in the State of Illinois. A portion of that document is shown below and the entire flier can be seen at this link.
We covered that story in 2011 in a post entitled, Industry Group Vows Neutrality on Coal Tar Bans. What has changed since then? There is more science to support outlawing this practice than ever. Air quality issues and cancer risks to children have been further defined. Just like many things, promises are easy to make and harder to keep.
It has been more than a week now that ACA was contacted for a comment. None has been received at the time of this writing. A renewed commitment by the American Coatings Association would be welcome.
The ACA is said to represent over 1,000 member companies.
The original release by the ACA is included below.
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