PCTC

PAVEMENT COATINGS
TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL

Sealcoatings Resource Guide

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?
The PavementCouncil.org website provides information from the Pavement Coatings Technology Council, a trade
association comprised of manufacturers of pavement maintenance productsThe website contains published articles
and research about the safety and environmental impact of refined tar sealers and general and technical information
for industry professionals. It also has a section with links to official information requests and comments, trade magazine
articles and resources for general information on pavement preservation technology.

www.pavementcouncil.org
The Truth about Coal Tar, a website owned by a PCTC member, provides published information about refined tar sealers
as well as additional links to industry organizations and manufacturers of pavement sealers.

www.truthaboutcoaltar.com

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Table of Contents
Page

What is Sealcoating? ................................... ....................... 4

I heard something about it becoming

Why Sealcoat? ...................................................... ............... 5

hazardous to dust in houses . ....... ...... ,........ .................... 9

What are the maintenance options? ............................ 5

Why does it have such a strong smell? ......................... 9

How long has sealcoating been around? ....................... 5

Does sealer hurt the environment? ... ..... ..................... 10

What is it made from? ....... ...................... ...... ........... ........ 5

Why have they been banned in some areas? ............. I I

Is there much difference between the

Is asphalt emulsion-based pavement

two types? ................................................ ....... ..................... 7

sealer safe? ....... ........................................ ......................... I I

Is sealer a health hazard? .. ........ .......... .............................. 7

Resources ........................ ...... .......... .................. Back cover

I've heard it causes cancer. Is this true? ........................ 8

WHAT IS SEALCOATING?
Sealcoating is a protective coating that w orks
much like the w ay paint protects w ood, metal
and other surfaces. The coating, appli ed to
the pavement surface protects the asphalt
binder from degradation caused by sunl ight
(UV light turns asphalt pavement from black
to gray, whil e making it w eaker and more
brittle), chem ical attack and w ater intrusion.

SEAL COATING

Un like paints, sealcoating is formu lated to also

ASPHALT

provi de w ear resistance to veh icu lar traffic.

Sand is usually added to provi de add itional
w ear resistance and provi de a more sli presistant surface.

The coating, applied to the pavement

surface protects the asphalt binder from
degradation caused by sunlight.

4.

WHY SEALCOAT?
Parking lots and driveways are capital investments,
increasing the value and functionality of a property.

HOW LONG HAS SEALCOATING

BEEN AROUND?
The first reported application occurred in 1938.
Sealcoating has been considered an established pave me nt

Like any infrastructure investment the asphalt

maintenance method for more than seven decades. It is

surface must be maintained to keep both value

consistently regarded as the best way to protect against

and functionality over time. Lack of care can result

pave me nt destruction.

in costly repairs or even premature replacement.

Proper maintenance has proven to extend the life
of asphalt parking lots by as much as 300 percent.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?

The majority of paveme nt
sealers are made from e ithe r

WHAT ARE THE MAINTENANCE OPTIONS?

refined tar or asphalt. Refin ed

tar-based sealer comes from

Mainte nance options include resurfacing or re placing the

a selective ly refin ed fraction

asphalt afte r it has det e riorated or surface treatments,

of crude coke oven tar called

including sealcoating. Surface treatments offer a more

RT-12. Similarly, asphalt-based

proactive and preventive approach to long-term mainte nance.

sealers are made from a

selective ly refin ed fraction of
crude o il.

5.

Air sampling studies

show refined
tar-based sealers
pose no health risk
to the people who
manufacture and
apply them every day.

IS THERE MUC H DIFFERENCE BETWEE

THE TWO TYPES?

Of the two types, refin ed tar-based sealers are currently

They are both emu lsions, which means they are a mixture

receivi ng more negative attention. Recent claims describing

of wate r; clay, polyme rs and e ither refin ed tar or asphalt.

refin ed tar sealers as "toxic waste" have circu lated on li ne and

IS SEALERAHEALTH HAZARD?

The majority of pavement sealer used today is refi ned

in the press. In reality, there is a lot of scientific information

tar-based .Whil e research and deve lopment has improved

and data, which proves otherwise. Pavement sealer is not

the performance of asphalt-based seale rs, there re main s a

manufactured from a waste product. Air sampling studies

sign ifi cant benefit to using refined tar-based products. Refined

show refined tar-based sealers pose no health risk to the

tar-based sealers are much more resistant to gasoline and

people who manufacture and apply the m every day

o il d ri ppings, damage from weather and are more resistant

to wear than asphalt-based sealers. Only refined tar-based
sealers are manufactured to ASTM standards for quality
and performance.

7.

I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT IT BECOMING

HAZARDOUS TO DUST IN HOUSES.
There was a study by two hydrologists who work for the
Un ited States Geological Survey that attempted to tie risks
re lated to PAHs in house dust to pavement sealer. Peer review
and a formal request for a correction document exposing
exaggerations in the study raise serious questions about the
risk assessments presented in the report.
In fact, PAHs are everywhere,They occur naturally in organ ic
materials, and are produced whenever o rgan ic substances are
heated, In short, PAHs are a natural byproduct of combustion,
A quote from The World Health Organ ization reads:"Food is

least in part from gas/flame drying of grains); and vegetables

grown in contam inated soil s o r with surface contam inatio n
from atmospheric fall -out of PAHs, ,
The United States Food and Drug Administration
has authorized the use of a substance containing high
concentrations of PAHs - coal tar - in soaps, shampoos
and ointments for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and
dermatitis and these are sold as over-the-counter medications,
You can purchase coal tar shampoos in most grocery and
drug stores,

WHY DOES IT HAVE SUCH A STRONG SMELL?

a major source of intake of PAHs for the general populatio n,

The smell is primarily the presence of naphthalene, which

Estimates of PAH intake from food vary widely, ranging from

the human nose can detect at a very low concentration,The

a few nanograms to a few micrograms per person per day.

human nose can detect it at a concentration of just 3 parts per

Sources of PAHs in the d iet include barbecued/grilled/broiled

bil lion, For compari son, the leve l of naphthalene considered

and smoke-cu red meats; roasted, baked and fried foods (high

safe by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial

temperature heat processing); breads, cereals and grains (at

Hygi enists is 10,000 parts per billion,

9.

DOES SEALER HURT THE ENVIRONMENT?

Almost all the co ntroversy about refin ed tar sealer being

opposite of what one w ou ld expect

a problem for the environment concerns PAHs (Polycycli c

if refin ed tar sealers w ere, in fact,

Aromatic Hydrocarbons) . A study in Austin, TX conducted in

the cause of the PAH levels.

2005 theorized that a sign ificant contributor of PAHs in the

Austin area streams came from the dried residue of refined
tar sea l e ~ As a result, refin ed tar pavement sealers w ere
bann ed in Austin,TXT his study, and another by the same
authors, which claims refin ed tar sealer is a major contributor
to PAHs in lake sed iment, comp ri se almost all the evidence
cited in the med ia. Science has proven t hese findings and
conclusions are flawed. Independent studies have repeated ly
concl uded that I'efln ed tar sealers pose no risk to health
or t he environment. The fact remains that I'eflned tal'-based

Sc ientific analysis using a

forens ic approach shows,
with very few exceptions,
the chemical fingerprint of
refin ed tar sealers is not
identifiable in sed iments
t est ed , whi ch contained PAHs.
Refin ed tar sealer particles
are not considered bio-available.

sealers offer the very best protection and preservation. Here

They are insolu ble in water, so

are a few facts w orth knowing:

t hey are not easily absorbed by

An independent scientifi c study show s no noticeable change

any organism - including humans -

in PAH levels in the same Austin streams used in the

wh en the organi sm comes into contact

original study over two years after t he ban, which is t he

with t he particles.

10.

~
WHY HAVE THEY BEEN BANNED IN
SOME AREAS?

IS ASPHALT EMULSION BASED PAVEMENT

SEALER SAFE?

Alarmed by a small number of activists promoting the

Both asphalt- and refined tar-based sealers contain PAHs. For

conclusions in the original Austin study. legislators in

practical reasons, asphalt contains fewer PAHs, but needs to

some areas considered bans of refined tar sealer in their

be applied more frequently. As substantiated by numerous

constituencies. Some of these bans were actually enacted

recent studies, the risks to health or the environment posed

without regard to sound science and without first determining

by either asphalt- or refined tar-based sealers have been

whether there was an actual problem.Those who opposed

greatly exaggerated. In fact, aside from smokers, the number

the bans were given limited opportunity to present a point of

one way people are exposed to PAHs is in their natural diet,

view that would allow for more balanced consideration. More

according to the FDA.

recent research directly refuting the Austin study results may

make it more difficult for activists to push through legislation
based on a one-sided view in the future. And documents
obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request show
how the data in the original Austin study was manipulated to
implicate refined tar sealer:

As substantiated by numerous recent

studies, the risks to health or the
environment posed by either asphaltor refined tar-based sealers have been.
greatly exaggerated.
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