Jan

What’s all the stink about asphalt?

Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you’ve got/Till it’s gone/They paved paradise/And put up a parking lot … - Joni Mitchell

Recent studies by the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) have shown high concentrations of a chemical compound called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in settled house dust. Sources of PAHs are cigarette smoke, wood smoke, car fumes, and asphalt sealents to name a few. Most concerning are the elevated levels of PAHs in sampling sites near recently sealed parking lots.

There are two types of asphalt sealant one comprised of Asphalt. The other is Coal Tar, a by-product of steel coking, that has long been known to cause cancer in miners, steel workers and chimney sweeps. The problem with coal tar is that it doesnt stay put, it finds its way into waterways, tracks on sneakers and tires and ultimatly ends up as part of household dust that gets breathed in.

While the greatest danger lies in those populations who have direct contact with Coal Tars (Asphalt Workers , Seal Coating Companies …) it gives one pause when you consider how much of our existence is in the presence of these chemicals.

So when you smell that oh-so familiar summer time scent of recently sealed asphalt, you may want to close your windows and tread carefully through the asphalt jungle.