The High Cost of Cheap Coal Tar
Would you ever buy something that costs 45 times the purchase price to cleanup? Not in your right mind, would you. But pond cleanup costs, calculated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and extrapolated here to a per gallon cost, show that the application of coal tar sealants is just like this. The costs go from […]
State of Minnesota Asks Schools to Stop Coal Tar Sealant Use
This illustrates part of the problem at schools where PAHs can be absorbed through skin. In a letter sent to school superintendents and charter schools across the State of Minnesota, the head of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Commissioner John Linc Stine, encouraged the leaders of schools to phase out the use of coal tar containing […]
Illinois Community Passes State’s First Outright Coal Tar Sealer Ban
While he might not be showing it in this statue, I am sure the spirit of Lincoln is pleased with the first ban of coal tar by a unit of government in his home state. Several communities in Illinois have government use restrictions, but to my knowledge, the Village of South Barrington (population about 3,700) […]
Minneapolis, City of Lakes, Now 2nd Largest US City with Coal Tar Sealant Ban
Standing on the shoulders of 21 Minnesota communities and key legislators and researchers, the City of Minneapolis today passed a ban of coal tar pavement sealants. With a population near 400,000, this sends a clear message to the coal tar sealcoating industry: stop polluting the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota. “The Mississippi River and our beautiful […]
Coal Tar Sealer Problem Has Gone Mainstream, Reader’s Digest Shows
This month’s issue of Reader’s Digest (July/August 2012) demonstrates that coal tar sealant pollution has gone mainstream. With the largest circulation of any general interest magazine at over 5 million subscribers, this issue’s article, Toxic Danger Zones in Your Backyard, is sure to have a positive ripple effect. The article gives a concise summary of […]
Maryland’s Declining Oyster Population Affected by Roadway Runoff
In a report released just last month, researchers from Morgan State University and Saint Mary’s College of Maryland found that roadway runoff negatively affects the early development and reproduction of oysters. The oyster population is in peril in Maryland with only 0.3% of its 19th century population remaining. 1 This is due to a variety […]
Luggage Lessons for the Coal Tar Sealant Industry
Maybe you saw the recent news about Samsonite’s luggage line, called “Tokyo Chic.” A consumer product watchdog group found that some samples of these suitcase handles contained with the same chemical family that is problematic for coal tar pavement sealants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The concentration of PAHs found in the handles of the luggage […]
Rosenthal Coal Tar Bill Overwhelmingly Passes New York Assembly
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal With over 80% of assemblymembers in favor, New York Assembly Bill A07854 has moved on to the New York Senate. The bill calls for the phase-out of both the sale and application of coal tar pavement sealants. “I am proud that the Assembly has passed my legislation, which would prohibit the […]
DC Continues to Lead Nation on Coal Tar Sealer Ban Enforcement
Washington D.C.’s Department of the Environment (DDOE) continues to lead on the enforcement of coal sealant bans. While every ban that is passed is cause for celebration, without adequate enforcement a ban may be only a “feel good” effort by a community and not bring about a healthiercommunity. The good news is that standards have […]
Scores Attend Today’s EPA Coal Tar Sealant Webinar
Today the US Environmental Protection Agency hosted its first ever web-based seminar on coal tar based pavement sealants. It is estimated that more 1,000 participants listened to researchers from the USGS, University of New Hampshire, the State of Minnesota, and the City of Austin give the status of stormwater-related research on this topic. This is […]