Are You Paying Too Much for Your Carcinogens?
5. $2.1 Million for 1 Pound of Hamburger CarcinogensNow this is the most expensive way in our lineup to get your toxins. You could eat a burger a day for a 1,000 years and still not have a pound of these carcinogens.4. $864 for 1 Pound of Cigarette CarcinogensYou might have guessed that this would […]
Overhaul of Coal Tar Free America Underway
After 3 years of continuous tinkering with this site’s look and feel, it was time for a major overhaul. What you see today is, hopefully, an improved interface, easier navigation, better viewing on all types of devices, and some aids for both frequent and first time visitors. While there are still a few annoyances which […]
ACTION ALERT: IL HB2958 Amended From Coal Tar Ban to Ban Choice
from the Illinois Sierra Club: Amendment 2 will allow local control to non-home rule municipalities and counties to regulate the use of carcinogenic coal tar pavement sealants. [The only home rule county in Illinois is Cook, and home rule municipalities in Illinois include only those with populations over 25,000.] HB2958 Amendment 2 will allow Illinois […]
An Open Letter In Search of Some Political Courage
I recently wrote this letter to an elected official who had shown some interest in the sealer issue. Often our politics are so polarizing that politicians are unwilling to go outside of the herd of familiar slogans and mantras. Usually that means Republicans, but sometimes Democrats do the very same thing. Please don’t take this note the wrong […]
Thanks Dr. Oz for the Recommendation!
It has been a busy few weeks. So much so that we didn’t have an opportunity to say “thank you” to cardiothoracic surgeon, author and television host, Dr. Mehmet Oz. In one of their columns, entitled Study finds that coal-tar pavement sealants are toxic to all, they recommended readers check out our site, Coal Tar Free […]
The End of State Coal Tar Bans As We Know It
The following letter comes from Andy Igrejas of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families group. In it he lets us know that if a version of a bill is reconciled in Congress, a state’s authority to ban toxic chemicals would be blocked. We have seen with coal tar sealers a toothless EPA and a distracted Congress pushes […]
Grandma Leads Community to a Better Future w/o Coal Tar Sealers
Editor’s note: The following is a story of how one community worked to find a better alternative to coal tar sealers in their neighborhood. It isn’t a product endorsement, but another example of a better way of doing pavement preservation as we have highlighted before. This article originally was published in the DuPage Sierran, a […]
Calling Out and On Stormwater Professionals: Take a Stand Against Coal Tar Sealers
I’m calling on stormwater professionals to do the unexpected: put your name out there as someone who supports the increased regulation of toxic, coal tar pavement sealers. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies […]
Cold Hard Facts About Stuffed Animals and Sealed Asphalt
Consumer Testing Group Finds Widespread Contamination By the end of 2015, the European Union will be changing the standard for certain chemicals in consumer products including children’s toys. The standard for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are also found in pavement sealers, will be 0.5 parts per million. Last week a German testing firm released […]
Thin Asphalt Coating in the Thick of Chemical Exposure
Common Pavement Preservative a Potent Source of Carcinogens & Toxins Our lives are so filled with paved surfaces. They are a familiar symbol of our evolution out of the grit and grime of development. They improve property values and make getting around a faster, more pleasant experience. Yet, most have no idea how damaging one […]