Chicago Area Watershed Group Adds Another Million Citizens Under Government Use Restrictions

In an unpresedent 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 the DuPage River/Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW), the group has conducted biological and chemical field data gathering to determine the causes of stream impairment.

This movement comes after findings of significant, local water quality degradation from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).  Nearly 3 times more streams are impaired by PAHs than was found by the City of Austin's creeks prior to their ban in 2005 (37% vs. 13%).  Because of the high likelihood that the common source of this impairment in coal tar sealants, all of the DRSCW members have committed to end the governmental use of this sealant. 

Complete public and private bans at the municipal level are also being considered by some of the municipalities in addition to possible State of Illinois action.

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 PAHs in house dust and soil concentrations as collected by the USGS and the University of New Hampshire. 

For the first time, a toxicologist has publicly presented the probable risks to children exposed to soil and dust tracked into homes from coal tar pavement sealants. An excess risk of 1 in 10,000 was estimated. Federal law deems this risk "unacceptable" and is "sufficient basis" for action. While the professor from Baylor University, Dr. Spencer Williams, thought more information should be studied, others at the conference wondered if it wasn't more than enough.

"CSA"-coal tar sealant affected

from Site remediation planning and management by J. Andy Soesilo, Stephanie R. Wilson

He presented a conservative, yet compelling look at the cancer risks for children coming into contact with coal tar sealants. While he stated that the excess cancer risk of 1 in 10,000 is theoretical and he'd like more research, it nonetheless is a strong indictment of a product that has no demonstrable pavement benefit and is not recommended for use by the Asphalt Institute.

The full, hour-long presentation is available on the University of Connecticut website.

Also included is a recently re-discovered video of a Love Canal toxicologist about the high PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) found in Austin, Texas back in 2003.  One quotable quote went something like this, we usually get excited if you have PAHs in the part per BILLION, but you have them at parts per MILLION!! (which is 1,000 times higher).

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 the country that asked their sealant preference. While non-scientific, in California, 23% prefer to use coal tar sealant. This is higher than the 14% in the State of Washington that, as you may know, was the first to ban in May of 2011.

Finding out how much is actually being used in California is difficult to say and finding what contractors are selling it is a bit murky. Because of negative publicity about coal tar sealants, contractors are now scrubbing their websites and advertising of the words "coal tar." In spite of this one California contractor continues to make this incredible claim:

"Seal Coating is a complex mixture of chemicals specifically designed to protect asphalt pavements. It is a refined coal tar emulsion that is environmentally safe and practically odorless and is harmless to people."

Wow, how is that legal to make such claims?!  It illustrates the problem we have with such a poorly regulated industry.  The unscrupulous applicator says whatever it takes to apply their products.

Recently CalTrans re-affirmed their commitment to be coal tar sealant free after some old coal tar sealant specifications got into a bid packet.  This error was reversed prior to more toxic sealant being applied, but it demonstrates the challenge of institutions translating "board room" talk to the "factory floor."  Thank you CalTrans for eliminating the use of this product!  A copy of the letter can be found  here.