Resolution #20-7 Proposed by: Sen. Laura Fine, Illinois
The Dangers of Coal-Tar-Based Sealcoats and Other High-PAH Sealants
WHEREAS,
it is the goal and duty of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus (GLLC) to inform citizens of the social, environmental, and health-related consequences of water pollution, to which recent studies indicate coal tar sealcoats may contribute; and
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WHEREAS ,
coal tar 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; and
WHEREAS ,
studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), academic institutions, and State and local agencies have identified coal-tar-based pavement sealcoat as a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in urban and suburban areas and a potential
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concern for human health and aquatic life; and
WHEREAS ,
as coal-tar-based sealcoat ages and erodes by weathering, foot and vehicle traffic, and snow plowing, it wears into small particles with high levels of PAHs that can be transported into homes and onto nearby soils and can be carried by storm water and
other runoff into the waterways; and
WHEREAS ,
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry states that PAHs are linked to risks of cancer and birth defects in
humans; and
WHEREAS ,
exposure to PAHs, especially early in childhood, has been linked by health professionals
to an increased risk of lung, skin, bladder, and respiratory cancers; and
WHEREAS ,
runoff from coal-tar-sealcoated pavement is toxic to fathead minnows and water fleas,
two species used to assess toxicity to aquatic life; and
WHEREAS ,
PAHs already threaten our waterways, as demonstrated by a study by the USGS that took sediment samples from 71 tributaries to the Great Lakes and found every site tested
had measurable levels of PAH contamination; and
WHEREAS ,
coal-tar-sealcoated pavement dust is identified as the primary source of PAHs; and
WHEREAS ,
environmental impacts and health risks can be minimized by the use of safer alternatives
to coal tar sealcoats with fewer carcinogenic PAHs; and
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