A DANGEROUS chemical commonly found in driveway sealants is being banned after research proves it is dangerous.
Contractors and property owners should be aware that using the chemical can result in a hefty fine.
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Virginia lawmakers have successfully banned the use of pavement sealant containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) commonly found in coal tar, according to the state House Bill 985.
Tar is widely used to reseal driveways, driveways and roads.
As of July 1, the use of products containing the chemicals is banned in the state as research found they have leaked into the environment.
As it is applied to cracks in the pavement, the dust is kicked up by the wind, carried away by rainwater or released by car tires – passing the PAHs into the surrounding landscape.
Leaching chemicals pose a significant danger to people, land and animals, says Joe Wood, senior scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
“PAHs are definitely toxic. There’s really no doubt about it,” he told Virginia Mercury.
“When organisms – whether oysters, mice or fish – are exposed to these products in research studies, they cause negative effects. health effects.”
Michael Jones, owner of Jones Striping and Sealcoating LLC, fully supported the ban.
He told the outlet that after switching to an environmentally friendly alternative, his workers noticed a difference in their overall health.
“We learned, of course, firsthand, that [the coal tar] it’s toxic and it also burns the skin,” Jones said during committee testimony in February.
“Us [switched] for the health of our customers’ employees and, of course, for the protection of the environment.”
Stores are banned from selling products with chemicals, which some say will hurt small businesses that rely on sales.
“We are concerned that small businesses across Virginia will be harmed by these violations and penalties and have nowhere to turn to remedy this situation,” said Alex Thorup, lobbyist for the Pavement Coating Technology Council.
The United States Geological Survey found that dangerous levels of PAH dust were even found in homes, posing a danger to those inside them.
What are the effects of PAH exposure?
Studies on the effects of indirect exposure to PAHs are not readily known, although large concentrations of naphthalene in the air are known to irritate the eyes and respiratory tract.
Skin exposure to naphthalene and inhalation of vapors after heating (such as when used in sealing products) may be harmful, although this has not yet been proven.
Those who work with products containing chemicals for long periods become ill with liver and blood problems.
Research is currently being done to establish any links between the chemicals and causing cancer.
Exposure to PAHs can happen in these cases:
- Motor vehicle exhaust
- Cigarette smoke
- Wood smoke
- Vapors from asphalt roads
- Consume grilled or charred meats or foods
- Eating foods in which PAH particles have settled into the air
- Can pass through the skin
Source: Directorate-General for Health
There are alternatives, the agency said, and the best is asphalt emulsion.
It is a mixture of asphalt, water and soap.
“Asphalt and asphalt-based sealcoating products have much lower concentrations of PAHs,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency also found that those living near coal tar sealants were nearly 40% more likely to develop cancer, compared to those living near pavements without PAH-laden sealants.
PAHs have also been found in the Elizabeth River, which creates a “plausible link” to the cancer found in killifish, the agency said.
THE ROLE OF THE ACCOUNT
Although stores are prohibited from selling the product after July 1, all stores with sealants containing the chemicals can sell whatever stock they have.
After all items are sold, the sale of additional items would result in a $250 fine, and the revenue collected from the fine would go back into the Environmental Emergency Response Fund.
For business owners like Jones, the change will have no effect after he switched to an alternative product a few years ago.
“The quality is the same, if not better,” he said.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
