Uncut Video of USGS’ Decade of Coal Tar Sealcoat Research
Click on above picture to start the presentation. In a recent post, I included all of the known videos of the USGS researchers presenting their research on coal tar sealant pollution. Many are brief videos intended for viewers to look at answering specific questions about this issue. Until now, a high-quality, complete video has not […]
More Repetition Than Revelation in Coal Tar Sealer Industry’s New Bias Claims
A few weeks ago, representatives of the coal tar sealer industry came out with new claims of bias by USGS researchers. Press releases, presentations and insider editorials were coordinated to push back on recent research by the USGS and Baylor University, which found high lifetime cancer risks when living near a coal tar sealed parking […]
October 29th is First in the Rescheduled Coal Tar Sealant Webinar Series
Earlier this month this series was delayed with the October 1st government shutdown. Well it’s over for now and that means the webinars hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are now back on track. An email went out announcing this change and is pasted below. Registration is required for each separate webinar. The first […]
Coal Tar Industry Offers to Remove Speck from USGS’ Eye via “White Hat Bias” Complaint
The Myth of “Controversial” Coal Tar Sealant Science
In the recent USA TODAY article about pavement sealcoats, the coal tar industry labeled research conducted by USGS and others as “controversial science.” It is a retread of an old industry position, but I thought it might be helpful for a little further examination of this claim. This is only controversial in the spins of […]
USA TODAY: America Near Tipping Point on Coal Tar Sealant Use?
USA TODAY, the nation’s second highest daily circulation newspaper, informed more people about coal tar sealant pollution with its current edition than any newspaper to date. Its publication on Father’s Day was perhaps an ironic nod to the many fathers who have faithfully sealed their own driveways unknowingly with toxic coal tar sealers, myself included. […]
Top 12 Info Sources About Coal Tar Sealant Pollution
People frequently ask me about brochures and information about coal tar sealants. With any emerging field of understanding, information changes and makes some materials outdated or obsolete. Also, there really isn’t a one-size fits all kind of educational piece. Thankfully there are a growing number of resources for all interest levels. So here are some […]
When to Expect Benefits from Kicking the Coal Tar Habit
***Editor’s Note*** This article was written before the completion of a study by the USGS (2014) which found a 58% reduction in toxins in Austin’s primary waters nine years after the ban went into effect in 2006. For more on this study see this link. The benefits of banning coal tar pavement sealant are both […]
Is Coal Tar Trouble Brewing in Milwaukee?
It’s funny how sometimes seemingly unrelated, random things cross your desk and it makes you pause at the irony of it. Today was one of those days. The first was a government issued request for bids to manage a publicly-owned parking lot in Milwaukee. While not unusual, the bid called for the use of coal […]
Decoding the Coal Tar Sealant-to-Cancer Connection
A recent scientific journal came out with little attention or really no media coverage at all. While there may be a variety of reasons why, my hunch is that part of the reason is that it contains some pretty complex and difficult concepts to communicate. Well I thought I would try to decipher a bit […]