From the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:
This is a good time to educate members of your community about the environmental and health impacts of using coal tar-based sealcoats, and how to move to safer alternatives for preserving asphalt pavements.
Of course, coal tar sealcoats are now banned throughout Minnesota in order to protect public health and the environment, and to reduce the public cost of damages from harmful chemicals.
 |
For those of you in other states or provinces in the Great Lakes region, here are basic steps to promoting safer choices:
1. Understand what questions to ask sellers about pavement preservation techniques and products – see Guidance at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/ckkfkud.
2. Find applicators who are committed to safer alternatives, now available in 7 Great Lakes states and provinces – see Map/Listing at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/uu4yx6y.
3. If committed local providers or sellers aren’t yet available, get involved in Freshwater Future’s community-based outreach efforts and help build more local capacity – see http://freshwaterfuture.org/coaltar/wp/.
Finding and choosing safer products improves our environment – now and for the future.
Thank you.
Al Innes, MPCA