A popular pavement sealant made of coal tar is disintegrating and making its way into house dust in many homes, according to a report from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (and via a Discovery Channel News article).
The dust is responsible for lowered IQs among the children in polluted homes, and may also be responsible for skin conditions and immune system problems (as has been proven among lab animals, though not yet for humans).
According to the article, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are a by-product of the coal tar sealant used to protect parking lots and roads and are used to create a uniform, black-colored covering. The coal tar sealants also contain 1000 times more PAHs than do regular asphalt-based sealants.
A study in Austin, TX in 2003 discovered high concentrations of PAHs in waterways downstream from surfaces covered with the coal tar sealants, and the study expanded to find them in normal house dust in apartments and homes near such surfaces, such as apartment complex parking lots.
The sealants are most commonly used in communities east of the continental divide. Austin and many other Texas cities have banned the use of coal tar sealants to protect people from their effects.
Companies such as B&C Blacktop and Shamrock Asphalt in Columbus use coal tar sealants, according to their websites.
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