Tony Tucci, award-winning investigative journalist and more importantly a good friend, passed away recently at the age of 79. In his earlier years, he wrote about political corruption, the Kent State shootings and the mafia wars in Cleveland, Ohio.
One of his last jobs was working for the Oak Hill Gazette, outside of Austin, Texas. There he broke stories about Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s introduction of a nationwide ban of coal tar sealers, the first ever press coverage of toxic playgrounds from coal tar sealers, and the health effects to humans exposed to these sealers.
He is one of the few recipients of Coal Tar Freedom award from Coal Tar Free America.
In his honor, the text of those articles is below.
AISD to remove cancer-causing coal tar from playgrounds, parking lots
March 7, 2012
A City scientist collects a sample of paving sealant from a parking lot in Southwest Travis County. Tests showed it was not coal tar, which has a blacker, shinier look than the grey surface above.
by Tony Tucci
AUSTIN – Austin Independent School District will begin removing cancer-causing coal tar from its playgrounds and parking lots this summer, thus becoming what is reportedly the first entity in the country to tackle the problem.
The estimated cost of removing the coal tar sealant on seven playgrounds and replacing it with an asphalt surface is $115,500. Work will begin this summer. Work on the 60 parking lots and driveways will be considerably more, depending on the size of the surface.
While the city banned coal tar sealants in 2006, an estimated 15,000 paved surfaces sealed before that date still are covered with coal tar in amounts depending on the age of the sealant and how much has been washed away. As it ages, the coal tar flakes and crumbles and is blown into the air we breathe, washed into our waterways, and tracked on shoes into homes and cars.
Coal tar sealant contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) known to cause cancer. Studies show that the coal tar is particularly dangerous to children, who play on their hands and knees and put their fingers into their mouth.
“Coal tar needs to be banned, and we feel strongly that we need to do our part,” said Curt Shaw, director of the Austin Independent School District’s Construction Management Department. He has been working with the city’s Watershed Protection Department for more than a year to identify the presence of coal tar on school grounds and develop a schedule for removal.
While a final report won’t be released for several weeks, Shaw said it will show that coal tar exists on playgrounds at seven schools and on parking lots at about 60 schools — about half of the district’s 130 schools. Shaw said the removal program would begin with the playgrounds, starting with the worst, which is Doss Elementary School. Other elementary schools with less amounts of coal tar are Williams, Summitt, Pleasant Hill, Linder, Hart and Campbell.
Evidence of the danger of coal tar continues to mount. Dr. E Spencer Williams, a human health risk assessment expert from Baylor University, said the probable risk to children exposed to coal tar soil and dust exceeds 1 in 10,000. According to federal law, that risk is “unacceptable” and is “sufficient basis” for action.
Trace amounts of PAHs exist in foods, including fish, grilled and fried foods, and vegetable oil, but Dr. Williams’ study showed that children who put their hands in their mouth most often are likely receiving nine times more exposure through house dust than through food.
More than 15 local governments and the state of Washington have taken action, following Austin’s lead in banning the sealant. Four other states — California, New York, Illinois and Maryland —are considering legislation to ban coal tar, and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) plans to introduce a bill calling for a nationwide ban. Illinois’ legislation would allow counties to adopt bans. Meanwhile, major retailers including Lowe’s and Home Depot, have pulled coal tar from their shelves.
Austin’s ban was prompted by research that showed tiny bits of coal tar were being washed by rain into waterways, sickening and even killing aquatic life. More recent studies have examined the effect on human health.
U.S Geological Survey researchers measured large amounts of PAHs vaporizing into the air off coal tar-sealed parking lots. The vapors from parking lots in suburban Austin were higher than in centers of heavy industry, including Jersey City and Camden, N.J.; Chicago; London and Manchester, England; and Guangzhou, China.
Concentrations measured four feet above the coal tar-sealed lots in some cases exceeded health-protection guidelines recommended by a European Union science panel to protect against cancer. The United States has no similar guidelines.
Using the 85 million gallons of coal tar sealants laid down annually and the out-gassing rates measured in Austin, Geological Survey researchers calculated that nationwide, more PAHs are getting into the air from coal tar-sealed parking lots, driveways and playgrounds than from all the auto and truck exhaust. This raised questions about the effect on children in those homes.
Dr.Williams said that “just one little fingerfull could be a relevant dose,” meaning a dose that worries health experts.
The city’s Watershed Protection Department said that since the 2006 ban the concentrations of PAHs in some watersheds have decreased, while others remain flat.
Mateo Scoggins, a senior environmental scientist with the city department, said it is estimated that the coal tar sealant wears off at a rate of 3% to 5% a year. Scoggins acknowledged that PAHs “persist” on paved surfaces sealed prior to the ban. He said these older lots continue to add PAHs to waterways, although the amount is relatively low compared to newly surfaced lots.
“We believe that by implementing the ban we have taken care of the most significant part of the problem and will continue to monitor how (older sealed surfaces) affect our water bodies over time,” he said.
In a written statement, the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services said it supports continuing studies of PAHs in coal tar sealants, but added that “there is no evidence to suggest” that inhalation, skin contact or ingestion of PAHs in coal tar will affect human health.
However, the statement went on to say that concerned citizens can “minimize their risk” by washing their hands and face before eating or drinking and damp mopping their floors.
Asked about the health department’s comment, Spencer Williams said, “I wouldn’t be comfortable making that statement.”
A new paper in which the city of Austin participated along with Baylor University, the USGS, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the University of New Hampshire states: “human health concerns are real.” Dr. Williams said cancer might not show up for 20, 30 or 40 years.
Austin schools were briefed by the health department and the Watershed Protection Department almost two years ago, and decided to hire an independent environmental science firm. The firm recommended that the schools develop a plan to reduce future releases of PAHs. The report said the “risk” of exposure to PAHs “depends on the concentration and the frequency and duration of the exposure.”
Shaw said that Doss was chosen as the first school in its coal tar removal plan because 50 percent of its playground is covered with coal tar.
About 20 to 30 percent of the coal tar remains at Pleasant Hill and Linder, and the other schools have only 5 percent remaining.
Once playgrounds are completed, the schools will move to parking lots and drives at about 60 schools. Since the schools have complied with the city ban, newer schools and surfaces sealed since 2006 do not contain coal tar.
Coal tar is readily identified by its shiny black appearance, unlike asphalt, which is gray. Asphalt-based sealants contain about 1/1000th the concentration of the cancer-causing chemicals in coal tar-based products.
Legislation to ban coal tar sealants introduced
April 24, 2012
A City scientist collects a sample of paving sealant from a parking lot in Southwest Travis County. Tests showed it was not coal tar, which has a blacker, shinier look than the grey surface above.
By Tony Tucci
Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) has introduced legislation that would ban the manufacture, distribution and sale of coal tar sealants, a pavement resurfacing material that contains chemicals that pollute our water, cause mutations and birth defects in aquatic life, and have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable cause of cancer in humans.
If passed, the manufacture of coal tar sealants would be prohibited in one year, the distribution would be illegal in 18 months, and sales would be illegal in two years. Passage of the bill would culminate a six-year battle that began in 2006 when the city of Austin became the first community to ban coal tar. Since then, numerous communities and the state of Washington have banned coal tar, and retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot have pulled it from their shelves.
Other communities that have followed Austin’s lead are the District of Columbia; Madison, Wisc.; Suffolk County, N.Y.; Dane County, Wisc.; the state of Washington; and 15 communities in Minnesota.
“Although other local communities have taken action, we cannot wait for all other communities simply to catch up to Austin,” Doggett said in his bill. “That is why I have introduced the Coal Tar Sealants Reduction Act. This legislation would phase out these coal tar-based sealants nationwide. Alternative products are already on the marketplace.”
Doggett was joined by legislators from Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, and Massachusetts — all states where communities have questioned the effects of coal tar on human health — as well as the nation’s major environmental advocacy groups such as the Sierra Club.
They cited research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that shows:
- Coal tar contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) “which are probable human carcinogens, having been identified as such by the Environmental Protection Agency,” which are “toxic to aquatic life” and “present in pavement sealants, known as sealcoats, made from coal tar.”
- Coal tar sealants are widely used on parking lot surfaces, airport runways, and driveways.
- Research conducted by the USGS indicates that elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on parking lots, where the dust may be tracked into homes and increase health risks, are associated with use of these coal tar sealants.”
- Research conducted by the USGS indicates that elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waterways, where they are toxic to aquatic life and enter the food chain, are associated with use of these coal tar sealants.”
- “Alternative, coal tar-free sealants are available in the marketplace, and nationwide retailers Lowe’s and Home Depot have voluntarily committed to cease carrying coal tar sealants.”
- Austin, TX, was the first municipality to enact a ban on the use of coal tar sealants, which went into effect in 2006, and other local governments have instated similar restrictions.
- “in 2011, Washington State became the first State to enact such a ban.”
Other legislators who have signed H.R. 4166 The Coal Tar Sealant Reduction Act of 2012 are Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Washingtom, 7th District); Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota 5th District); Congressman Mike Quigley (D-Illinois 5th District), and Congressman Bill Keating (D-Massachusetts 10th District.
Doggett’s staff said the congressman was planning a press conference to announce the bill and declined to comment at this time. However, he was quoted in a Sierra Club newsletter as saying, “In 2003 when Austin officials raised initial concerns about the environmental and health impact of coal tar sealants used on playgrounds, parking lots, and other paved surfaces with me, I contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) several times. In 2005, I was pleased that city government took action to ban coal tar sealants. Other communities, however, have not been as diligent in protecting their citizens from these substances. These pollutants not only get washed into local waterways after a rainfall, but can be tracked into our homes simply as dust on the soles of our shoes. Communities are threatened elsewhere in Texas and across the Nation.”
Coal tar has been a controversial subject since shortly after the turn of the century. The city passed its ban in 2005, becoming one of the first cities in the nation to do so.
Just recently the Austin school district decided to begin removing coal tar from school playgrounds. The older coal tar actually is more dangerous because it crumbles and flakes and can be washed into our waterways and tracked into our homes and cars. Children are the most vulnerable because they play on the ground and then put their hands in their mouths.
An online petition drive has been started to support a nationwide ban. Those who want to sign the petition should go to http://forcechange.com/15718/support-a-nationwide-ban-on-toxic-coal-tar/.
Doggett said there is “compelling scientific literature” to warrant a nationwide ban. He said coal tar not only causes mutations and birth defects in aquatic life, but has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen.
“The Coal Tar Sealants Reduction Act is common sense legislation that will benefit our ecosystem and the health of Texans and other Americans,” he said.
This article is dedicated to the memory of Kevin Carmody, an award-winning environmental reporter who first recognized the danger of coal tar sealants. His legacy lives on.
AISD removes coal tar from elementary school playgrounds
August 30, 2012
A City scientist collects a sample of paving sealant from a parking lot in Southwest Travis County. Tests showed it was not coal tar, which has a blacker, shinier look than the grey surface above.
by Tony Tucci
Cancer-causing coal tar sealants were removed from the playgrounds at seven elementary schools this summer in time for the school year to begin.
The playgrounds were given a priority because children are the most vulnerable to the effects of coal tar sealants, which contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) known to cause cancer.
The seven elementary schools remediated this summer are Doss, Linder, Pleasant Hill, Campbell, Hart, Summit and Williams. However, coal tar still remains on parking lots at 28 facilities. “The school district does not yet have a schedule for remediating the coal tar sealer on the parking lots, but will be doing so soon,” said Curt Shaw, director of AISD’s
Construction Management Department.
AISD originally had identified 60 facilities with coal tar but further tests reduced that number to 28, Shaw said. The facilities are Anderson, Austin, Bowie, Garza, McCallum, and Reagan high schools; Burnet, Covington, Fulmore, Kealing, Martin, Murchison, and O.Henry middleschools; and Andrews, Barton Hills, Cook, Cunningham, Dawson, Galindo, Joslin, Linder, Pecan Springs, Read, Summitt, Walnut Creek, Widen, and Wooten elementary schools, plus the Lance Giles Service Center.
“The parking lots with the highest percentage of coal tar sealer would be considered for remediation first,” said Shaw. “The department’s annual maintenance and operations budget would likely fund some of the initial work, until more remediation could be performed through a future voter-approved school bond program.”
Shaw said AISD recently appointed a citizens committee to begin evaluating the district’s facility needs to help the board of trustees determine those projects that should be included in a future bond program, and when such a bond election should take place. A Pavement Management Plan is in final review, and should be completed by the end of this month, Shaw said.
Coal tar is easily identified by its shiny black appearance, whereas asphalt grays as it ages. It has been banned by the city of Austin since 2006, but thousands of paved surfaces sealed before that date remain. AISD has taken the lead in removing old coal tar.
Coal tar becomes more dangerous as it ages. It flakes and turns to dust and is blown into the air we breathe, washed into our waterways, and tracked on shoes into homes and cars.
“Coal tar needs to be banned, and we feel strongly that we need to do our part,” said Shaw. Parents, teachers and students who come in contact with coal tar need to take certain precautions, according to a brochure issued by the city’s Watershed Protection Department. This includes washing hands and faces before eating or dinking and damp-mopping floors.
The Oak Hill Gazette has been reporting on the dangers of coal tar since 2009. No other local newspaper has carried the story, although the issue has made headlines in various cities, including Chicago and Washington, D.C. One local television station began filing reports this year.
About two-dozen cities and the state of Washington have followed Austin’s lead in banning the substance, and both Lowe’s and Home Depot have pulled it from their shelves. A national ban also is being considered.
Evidence of the danger of coal tar becomes more conclusive as studies continue. Dr. E. Spencer Williams, a human health risk assessment expert from Baylor University, said the probable risk to children exposed to coal tar soil and dust exceeds 1 in 10,000. According to federal law, that risk is “unacceptable” and is “sufficient basis” for action.