Scientists reveal risk of PAH exposure from pavement coating

Researchers have found that children living next to driveways or parking lots coated with coal tar are contaminated with significantly higher levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) than those living near untreated asphalt.

The scientists say their results indicate that the wide use of coal-tar-based sealant products could be exposing children to levels of the potential carcinogen that far exceed dietary intake from other sources. Such products also contribute to a wide environmental distribution of the compounds via stormwater runoff and into the air, with studies demonstrating that PAH concentrations in air over sealed pavement can be up to a thousand times higher than unsealed pavement.

Details of the research are published in Environmental Pollution and a review article by the researchers in Environmental Science and Technology.





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