Note to Congress: Signatures and Opinions Pour in on Coal Tar Sealant Ban Petition
In just about 2 weeks over 8,500 people have signed a petition for Congress to act on the legislation to ban coal tar pavement sealants. While that isn’t a landslide of public opinion, it is nonetheless a strong showing of coast-to-coast public support for action. Not everyone left a comment, but some of the more […]
Chicago Council Committee Hears Industry Singing Same Old Song
Last week the City of Chicago’s Finance Committee listened to comments by representatives of the coal tar sealant industry about the City’s proposed ordinance to ban the use of coal tar pavement sealants. Many are based upon flimsy logic and myths perpetuated for years. As reported in today’s Daily Whale, the Pavement Coatings Technology Council […]
Sign a Petition to Get Congress Moving on National Ban Legislation
from the Care2 Petition site: Coal tar pavement sealant is a carcinogen that contaminates our soil and waterways. And even though coating your driveway with it can make your family sick, only two states have banned it. Though Texas is not one of those states, Austin was the first city in the U.S. to ban […]
Cleveland TV Asks “Is Your Driveway Making You Sick?”
Can the Coal Tar Sealer Issue Mar a Community’s Reputation?
A lot of effort goes into developing a community’s reputation or brand just like the brands for corporations and products. But can the way a community responds to the issue of coal tar sealants alter that image? A recent presentation in Springfield, Missouri got me thinking more about this. Does simply knowing about a problem […]
Video of Coffee-Tea Test for Coal Tar Sealants
A North Carolina TV station demonstrates how to test for coal tar pavement sealants using a test developed here in Austin by Tom Bashara and I. For a detailed explanation, see Field Test for Coal Tar Sealants.
Toxic Driveways & The Test You Can Do At Home
This video shows some creativity in communicating the problem of coal tar sealant pollution and is based upon the recent USA TODAY article.
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. […]
Chicago Department of Public Health, Physicians Back Coal Tar Sealant Action in Nation’s Third Largest City
Since last week, two influential medical groups wrote letters urging action be taken on the use of coal tar sealants in Chicago. Last Friday, Dr. Cortland Lohff, Medical Director for Environment Health at the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), delivered a letter supporting some kind of reduction in the use of this toxic product […]