The Canadian government has announced the start date for what may be the world’s first nationwide ban of coal tar and high PAH pavement sealers. Nearly 100 units of government have taken similar action in the United States, but an attempted nationwide ban more than a decade ago in the US Congress, never got much of a hearing. 

The import and manufacturing of the products containing coal tar or amounts of toxic chemicals called PAH (for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) must end by October 1 and the sale of the products must be done by December 31, 2025. The limit for PAHs is 1,000 parts per million which is similar to regulations in many places in the US. 

The effort highlights the big difference in the regulatory environments of the US and Canada. The announcement was made as part of a published 21 page, detailed report. In contrast to the US, if the regulatory experts find a problem with a product, they begin a process to consider it for regulations. This all appears to be independent of political influence.

The 41 million Canadians who will be under this ban, add to the nearly 50 million under similar regulations in the US. 

Their Executive Summary states: 

The Department of the Environment and the Department of Health determined that coal tars and their distillates are toxic to human health and the environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). Coal tars, containing high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pose risks to human health and biodiversity. The Certain Products Containing Toxic Substances Regulations (the Regulations) are needed to mitigate these risks.

https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2025/2025-03-12/html/sor-dors36-eng.html