Illinois Initiates Move to Allow Local Sealant Bans
After robust media and USGS attention, McHenry County government discovered last year that they do not have the constitutional authority to pass a coal tar sealant ban. In May 2011, the Assistant State’s Attorney, Ms. Jamie Rein, said that a written opinion had been developed which denied the County’s authority to pass a local ban. […]
California Introduces Legislation to Ban Toxic Pavement Sealcoats
In a state where applicators still boast of the “harmless” and “environmentally-friendly” aspects of coal tar sealants and nearly 1 in 4 applicators prefer to use coal tar, legislation has now been introduced which will eliminate their use. If successful, California would become the largest and second state to pass a ban. It would more than triple […]
USGS Publishes State-of-the-Science Sealant Paper with-State-Local-University Collaboration
A new paper compiles the state of our knowledge about the environmental and human health effects of coal tar sealant as well as the status of legislative action has just been published. In addition to the USGS, contributors included the State of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the University of New Hampshire, Baylor University and the […]
PAHs Force NJ Park Closure, But 2,000 Times Cleaner Than Sealant Dust
A park in Teaneck, New Jersey closed recently due to the discovery of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at a concerning level to local decision makers. The specific PAH of concern is the toxic benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) that was found above state clean soil standards. The crazy part of this story is that the concentration of BaP […]
Thank You for Not Sealing!
We’re familiar with “thank you for not smoking” slogan, but what about “Thank You For Not Sealing…with Coal Tar Sealants.” That may be the public service warning in the future. Why? Because the risks of getting cancer from coal tar pavement sealants are similar to the risk of getting lung cancer from second hand smoke. […]
Busting Sealant Myths: “Flawed” USGS Studies
That old saying that a lie is halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on has never been truer than with this myth. Dozens of times industry representatives and scientists have made this claim. Some have even begun to add colorful modifiers like “grossly flawed” or “seriously flawed.” Maybe they think the […]
Does Your Driveway Make Your Butt Look Big?
It’s the New Year and a time when many of us think about shedding a few pounds. A new book explores the science of environmental chemical exposures to humans and the possible link to increased weight gain. Author Pat Thomas details 11 chemicals that can increase our waist line in “The 21st Century is Making […]
Chicago Area Watershed Group Adds Another Million Citizens Under Government Use Restrictions
**Editor’s Note: See Chicagoland: Home to the Most Toxic Creeks in the US? for an update on this story. In an unprecedented move, a consortium of Chicagoland suburban communities, representing all or part of 39 municipalities, more than 350 square miles and about 1,000,000 citizens, have agree to end the governmental use of coal tar pavement sealants. Organized as part of […]
Cancer Risks of Coal Tar Sealants Exposed
As reported early on this site, a Baylor University toxicologist has run the numbers for cancer risk for children exposed to dust and soil contaminated from coal tar sealants. A summary video is now available on this website if you want to learn more. Dr. Spencer Williams details findings where he used the concentrations of […]
California on the Road to Being Coal Tar Free
The transportation agency for the State of California, CalTrans, has committed to be coal tar free! Some have said that coal tar sealants aren’t really used on the West Coast, but there is a fair bit of evidence to the contrary. Several months ago I wrote a piece about a poll of 1000 sealant applicators across […]