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PAH's and Pavement Coat Sealer

P-A-H’S ARE SUSPECTED CARCINOGENS RELEASED WHEN COAL, TOBACCO, OR TAR IS BURNED.  SO HOW ARE THEY ENDING UP IN WATER?  FIND OUT ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

BARBARA MAHLER, A RESEARCH HYDROLOGIST WITH THE U-S GEOLOGIC SURVEY, FOUND THAT THE P-A-H’S IN COAL TAR BASED PARKING LOT SEALANT CAN BE MOBILIZED BY RAIN.  THE STUDY WAS PROMPTED BY THE UNEXPECTED RESULTS OF ROUTINE SAMPLING IN DRAINAGE DITCHES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.

MAHLER: THEY SAMPLED SOME SEDIMENT FROM SOME OF THESE LITTLE DITCHES THAT WERE PHENOMENALLY CONTAMINATED WITH P-A-H’S.  AND WHEN I SAY PHENOMENALLY CONTAMINATED, I’M TALKING CONCENTRATIONS THAT WERE SO HIGH THAT IF YOU MIXED THEM WITH USED MOTOR OIL, YOU WOULD HAVE CLEANED THEM UP.

THE TOXIC RUNOFF WAS TRACED TO A NEARBY PARKING LOT WITH A COAL TAR BASED SEALANT.  MAHLER SAYS THAT BECAUSE DRAINAGE DITCHES MAKE THEIR WAY TO CREEKS AND LAKES, THE P-A-H’S COULD AFFECT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS.

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