2012 Coal Tar Freedom Review: American Emancipation Continues
2012 marked advancements in our understanding of the science of coal tar sealant pollution, greater legislative restrictions on its use and more extensive media coverage of the topic in popular press. Interestingly this week also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln back in 1862. More on that after we look […]
New Study: Cancer Risks Shown “Significant” For Children Near Coal Tar Sealant Dust/Dirt
In a just released study with the USGS, a Baylor toxicologist has shown that cancer risks to children (ages 0 to 6) with exposures to dust and soil contaminated with coal tar sealants are significant. As stated below, soil is the “primary driver of risk,” a medium that has been ignored by many to date. […]
US EPA Releases New Info on Coal Tar Sealant Pollution
The USEPA just released a new publication on their website with the above title. It is intended to assist communities in “Good Housekeeping” efforts within their local stormwater permits. This is the fourth public acknowledgement of this issue in the last few years. They are: A web page by the CADDIS section of the USEPA […]
Human Health, Coal Tar Sealants, & PAHs: the State of the Science
While our understanding continues to develop on coal tar sealants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and human health, […]
Paint It Black by the USGS Band
Well if you’re hoping for a Rolling Stones’ song here you may be disappointed. However the United States Geological Survey (USGS) assembled their own “band” of experts to look at air quality and runoff quality of a freshly sealed coal tar parking area. These researchers have been creatively working on this issue for more than […]
First Known Federal Agency Goes Coal Tar Free
Credit: U.S. Geological Survey; Department of the Interior/USGS; U.S. Geological Survey/photo by P.K. Cascio According the Bill Fulk, Chief, Design & Construction Section at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the USGS has sent out a memorandum to all of its facility managers that coal tar sealants should no longer be used on any of their paved surfaces. As far […]
Air Quality and Coal Tar Pavement Sealers, the State of the Science
There is an abundance of research on the air quality impacts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s). While much of the work has focused on industrial workers1, recent studies have included the effects of airborne PAH’s on the unborn including obesity2, lower IQ 3, and behavioral problems 4. Very few studies have been done specifically on […]
EPA Announces Historic, June 14th, Free Webinar on Coal Tar Sealants
The US Environmental Protection Agency today announced an upcoming, online seminar about coal tar sealant pollution as it relates to stormwater management. While the EPA says that the opinions of the presenters do not necessarily reflect an endorsement by the Agency, merely hosting the webinar is one of the strongest acknowledgements of coal tar sealant […]
Coal Tar Sealants Are An Environmental Justice Issue For Nation’s Largest Land Owner
The nation’s largest land owner, the US Department of the Interior, has a different, but accurate take on the problem of coal tar sealant pollution: it can be an injustice to the nation’s poor through their cultural or subsistence use of our natural resources. The US Department of the Interior (DOI), the parent department overseeing […]
Take a Parking Lot Sealer Tour with USGS Researcher
This video and associated story were shot during the coal tar sealant ban discussions in the State of Washington last year, yet it remains a valuable resource to show viewers the issue and summarize the USGS findings. The researcher, Dr. Peter Van Metre, has authored several research papers on coal tar sealant pollution.