Environment
Bill to ban pavement sealants stalls in committee
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By PATRICK LYONS
Capital News Service
LANSING — Legislators in Michigan and other Great Lakes states are proposing to ban coal-tar pavement sealants that kill aquatic animals and possible threaten human health. Such bans are in place in 15 municipalities and two counties in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Texas. Washington has a statewide prohibition. Coal-tar sealant used primarily on parking lots made with coal-tar pitch, a human carcinogen, according to Environmental Science & Technology magazine. The sealants contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – PAHs for short – some of which are considered probable human carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency.