Chicagoland: Home of the Most Toxic Creeks in the US?
In a manner of speaking, yes. While there are many chemical and biological measures of stream health, one carcinogenic constituent, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are showing up with higher numbers, over a broader area than anywhere else found in the U.S. The land use draining to these creeks are not factories, waste mounds and brownfields, […]
An MLK Day Meditation
New Year May Bring Broader Ban Authority for Chicagoland Local Governments and Beyond
A few years ago, Boone, North Carolina seemed poised to pass the first ban of coal tar sealers in that state and the first in the southeastern part of the US. Not only did the community experience a significant fish kill in one of their streams due to the runoff from a freshly applied coal […]
Suspect’s Fingerprints Found in Minnesota Stormwater Ponds; May Be Throughout US
MPCA staff sampling sediment pond in South St. Paul, MN. Photo by Judy Crane. The State of Minnesota has found the fingerprints, chemical fingerprints, of a suspected pollutant, coal tar pavement sealants in several Minnesota stormwater ponds. Most likely these same fingerprints would be found in much of the United States and Canada where coal […]
2013 Review: Snowball Effect Grows, But Avalanche Needed
Snowball by Deutsch used with permission The inter-related aspects of coal tar sealant pollution were never more obvious than in the year 2013. Research affected the press, which in turn mobilized citizens and legislators to act in a snowball-like fashion. And the whole time industry tried in vain to melt the snowball as with a […]
What Would’ve Happened if Brer Rabbit Didn’t Get the Coal Tar Off?
Perhaps I’m dating myself, but remember the old Uncle Remus story where Brer Rabbit, who was covered in tar, tricked Brer Fox into throwing him into a briar patch? There he was able to scrape the tar off of himself. But what would’ve happened if Brer Rabbit didn’t get the tar off? That question was […]
Third Installment of MPCA Coal Tar Sealant Webinars: This Week with a Focus on Local Efforts
Parents and students decorate a coal-tar-free parking lot in Grand Rapids, MI. While many may debate whether the old adage that “all politics is local” is true or not, one cannot argue with the influence that everyday citizens and local decision-makers can have in their own communities with coal tar sealant use and pollution. I […]
Positive Progress Reported at 2nd Great Lakes Coal Tar Sealant Reduction Webinar
Recently the State of Minnesota hosted the second of three webinars which reviewed sealant studies in Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and efforts made in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to reduce sealant use. Here are some of the notable highlights: consistent findings of the PAH levels and watershed contributions from coal tar sealants by independent […]
Oklahoma Public Health Official: It’s Not OK to Use Coal Tar Sealants “Anytime, by Anyone, Anywhere”
The conversation about coal tar pavement sealers has taken place in many areas around the country, but in Oklahoma it has been pretty quiet over the last decade–until now. Last week, KFOR-TV, Oklahoma City broke that silence with 4 and a half minute piece on their 10 pm news. It included a description of what […]
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 […]