2015 Coal Tar vs. Asphalt Sealer Price Comparison
Asphalt-Based Sealer Prices Flat or Falling; Retail Coal Tar Sealers Rare Nearly 20 years ago, a lab scientist went to the hardware store and bought a dozen buckets of pavement sealer to study their toxicity. 11 of those 12 were coal tar based. Today if you were going to do the same thing, you might […]
Texans Seek Independence from Coal Tar Sealers
The Alamo, an enduring symbol of Texas’ Independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836. In the home of the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas another group of people are hoping for a different sort of independence: from the unwelcome problems associated with coal tar pavement sealers. In December of last year, Councilman Ron Nirenberg announced he […]
De-mystifying US Annual Coal Tar Sealer Use
Let’s face it, those in the technical fields speak languages of concentrations and quantities which mystify much of the public. The news media often tries to help with the communications gap with comparisons to familiar objects like swimming pools, salt and familiar distances to objects. In the coal tar sealer realm, people often ask how […]
You Can’t Handle the Truth About Coal Tar Sealers
I’ve seen some fragments of the new literature put out by industry to help contractors convince customers that there is sound science to justify the continued use of this polluting product. My response: nearly speechless at the incredibly disrespectful display (to contractors & the public) of deceptive statistics ever seen. Its best use would be […]
CyberSquatting Flattering, But an Unethical, Desperate Industry Effort
A few weeks ago a reader pointed out that some web addresses or domain names with the term “coaltarfreeamerica” in them are now being routed to the website of the Pavement Coatings Technology Council (PCTC)*. For example, if you type in “www.coaltarfreeamerica.org,” in your browser’s address box, then you’ll go to their website. Who is […]
Changed Empire State of Mind Toward Coal Tar Sealers
I confess I missed it. Last May the nation’s fourth largest state with billions of dollars in pavement assets, in the midst of a statewide legislative debate on coal tar sealers and on the heels of the Tonawanda Coke decision quietly put into place an alternative sealer specification which calls on state agencies to use […]
“Friendly” Village, Downers Grove, Now More Eco-Friendly
Forbes listed Downers Grove, IL as one of our nation’s friendliest communities, but the Village of nearly 50,000 in the western suburbs of Chicago is no longer friendly toward coal tar sealer pollution. Tuesday night the Village Council voted to join 13 other local agencies of the DuPage River /Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW) to cease […]
ICYMI: Concussions, Tobacco and Coal Tar
Double-click on the above picture to start the video. This video was produced by Patriot Pavement from the Chicago area in 2014.
A King Day Meditation
New Science, Old Tricks and Progress: 2014 Coal Tar Video Review
From dramatic new research showing Austin’s recovery from coal tar pollution to old industry myths to real progress in reducing coal tar sealer use, 2014 was a memorable year. We attempted to capture those key moments in the year in a brief, but entertaining way. Of course in a minute and a half some efforts […]