Coal-Tar-Based Pavement Sealcoat and PAHs_ Implications for the.pdf

Coal-Tar-Based Pavement Sealcoat and PAHs: Implications for the Environment, Human Health, and Stormwater Management Barbara J. Mahler,?,* Peter C. Van Metre,? Judy L. Crane,? Alison W. Watts,§ Mateo Scoggins,∥ and E. Spencer Williams⊥ ?U.S. Geological Survey, Austin, Texas 78754, United States ?Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-4194, United States §University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03856, United States ∥City of Austin, Austin, Texas 78767, United States ⊥Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798, United States ■ INTRODUCTION Driveways and parking lots are common features of cities, suburbs, and small towns. Most single-family residences in the U.S. have paved driveways, and we encounter parking lots at multifamily residences, schools, offices, and commercial busi- nesses. Most people in developed countries, when outdoors, probably spend as much time walking on pavement as on any other type of surface. There are differences among paved surfaces, however. Most pavement is concrete or asphalt. The asphalt pavement of many parking lots, driveways, and even some playgrounds in North America is sprayed or painted with a black, shiny coating referred to as “sealcoat,” “pavement sealant,” or “driveway sealer” (Figure 1A). Sealcoat is marketed as improving pavement appearance and increasing pavement longevity.1 In addition to making pavement black, however, one type of commonly used pavement sealcoat contains refined coal tar and is a potent source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).2?8 The contribution of pavement sealcoat to PAH contamination of soils, lakes, and homes has only recently been recognized.4?6 Coal-Tar-Based Sealcoat: A Newly Identified Source of PAHs. The two primary sealcoat product types on the market are refined coal-tar-pitch emulsion and asphalt emulsion. Coal- tar pitch, a known (Group 1) human carcinogen,9 is the residue remaining after the distillation of crude coal tar (a byproduct of the coking of coa