It’s Not a Complicated Story

It seems like a lot of information,

but you know it’s not a complicated story.

It’s not subtle.

There’s not a lot mysteries to tease out in this.

As scientists so often we pose ourselves questions and we may find answers,

but it’s like this one is 20 percent higher than this or

that is 5 percent higher than that;

we think it’s this or we think it’s that.

But this is actually a very, very straightforward story that we have here.

We know that PAHs are increasing in urban lakes around this country.

We know that coal tar pavement sealer has

exceptionally high PAH concentrations;

and I say exceptional relative to other sources that are out there.

They don’t stay on the parking lot.

That’s why you reseal the parking lot every two to three years.

And its use is extensive.

Many of the watersheds that we’ve mapped about 40% of the parking lots are covered in coal tar
sealers….

In one of the watersheds that we mapped, Lake in the Hills, near Chicago,

5 percent of the total watershed area was covered with sealcoated parking lot.

We’ve found the PAHs in house dust were elevated because they were being tracked in from

the coal tar sealed parking lots.

And finally our recent research has found that coal tar sealers iS the largest contributor

to urban lakes and is responsible for the increase in PAH in receiving lakes across the country.

Dr. Barbara Mahler, USGS 2010 speaking in Springfield, Missouri. Since this time USGS research has also found:

Increased cancer risks from contaminated dust exposure from coal tar sealed parking lots

A 58% reduction in PAH levels in Austin since its ban went into effect.

More PAHs enter the atmosphere from coal tar sealers than all road traffic in the US.

The runoff from coal tar sealed parking lots is toxic days after a parking lot is sealed.

It’s not a complicated story, is it?