In a day and age when it seems like something new pops up every day that is bad for us, it’s hard to know what to believe.
One pressing issue is the use of coal-tar-based sealcoat, a common product in the sealcoating industry.
While it has been widely used to protect and enhance asphalt surfaces, recent studies reveal significant risks to human health and the environment.
It may seem like these findings come out of nowhere, but they are the result of extensive research and technological advancements.
Here’s what you need to know about this important issue.
One of those issues that is affecting the sealcoating industry is the subject of coal-tar-based sealcoats.
Sealcoat is the black, viscous liquid sprayed or painted on many asphalt parking lots, driveways, and playgrounds to protect and enhance the appearance of the underlying asphalt.
Recent studies have shown that they are not safe to use for a number of reasons. We’ll go over those in a little more detail.
What you need to first know is that they should no longer be considered safe to use.
They may be a more cost effective way to sealcoat asphalt but that comes at a cost.
Human Health Concerns From Coal-Tar
Let’s get right down to it. Coal-Tar-Based sealants have been shown to be major source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH).
Why does this matter?
PAH has been shown to elevate the risk of cancer, especially in young children.
When exposed to PAH, Health professionals have been able to identify an increased risk of lung, skin, bladder, and respiratory cancers.
So how does this happen?
There are a couple of ways.
Studies by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), academic institutions, and State agencies have determined that coal-tar-based sealants are a major source of PAH.
There are several ways that people can exposed to the chemical.
The most obvious way is by the people on the front lines.
The Asphalt Sealcoating companies that have been applying this substance for years.
It was not previously known to be a contributor to cancer so companies were not knowingly putting their workers in danger.
In most cases, workers took proper precautions to begin with by wearing protective gear like face masks, goggles and gloves when applying the material.
This is not the case for all companies though.
The harmful chemical can be inhaled or spread to the mouth, eyes, and nose by touch if proper protective equipment was not worn.
Another way this can spread is indirectly.
If you have this coal-tar-based sealants on your property or adjacent to it then you could be bringing the chemical into your home.
Small particles can be tracked into the home. This can mix with household dust and can then be inhaled or ingested without knowing it.
There are also indirect risks.
The way that asphalt is laid out is designed for water to runoff so that there is no standing water, which can be damaging to asphalt.
This method allows runoff to make its way into soil and even water supplies.
Most parking lots have drainage that runs to a sewer or a source that leads to water.
In this way, PAH can impact not only humans because they can be ingested through the water supply but also because it can cause environmental damage.
Consequences To Our Environment
There have been multiple studies that have shown that PAH can be damaging and even lethal to aquatic life.
Runoff for coal-tar-based sealants will eventually find its way into a water supply, especially if you live near large bodies of water.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have both found that coal-tar-based runoff is lethal to young species of fish.
In a study conducted, exposure to runoff from coal-tar-sealed pavement collected as much as 42 days after sealcoat application resulted in 100 percent mortality to two commonly tested laboratory organisms: day-old fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and water fleas (Ceriodaphnia dubia).
In contrast, minnows and water fleas exposed to runoff from unsealed pavement experienced no more than 10 percent mortality.
There Are Other Options
Coal-tar-sealants are not the only sealants that are available.
New technology has allowed the development of products like SafeSeal.
SafeSeal is a NON-coal-tar-based sealant that has the same performance and qualities as the former.
Pavement Sealer Safe Seal® is environmentally friendly NON -Coal Tar
- Contains low VOC’s
- Emits no obnoxious odor or fumes
- Contains no solvents, no asbestos, no lead, and no mercury
- Non-flammable
- NON- Coal Tar
- Low PAH’s, permitted in coal tar banned areas
- Our asphalt emulsion does not contain carcinogenic materials like those found in coal tar sealers (Report on Carcinogens, 11th ed.)
- No Chemical Burn unlike (coal Tar Sealers)
- Safe Seal® will not create an environmental hazard
- Coverage rates up to 70-80 sq. ft. per gallon
- Color blacktop to Jet Black sealcoat, turns your asphalt pitch black
The bottom line is that this is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
No matter how much you can save by using a coal-tar-based sealant you should be using an alternative.
There are even local and state mandated areas where you can no longer use the coal-tar-based sealants.
If you would like to make the switch, learn more about SafeSeal here.
If you would like to find out more about the issues of using coal-tar-based sealants then you can reference this document.
