It’s been pointed out to me that coal tar sealant that is used in some parking lots to seal the asphalt, can break down into a powder, be tracked into homes, and then ingested by children playing on the floor. If you want another thing to worry about, read this.
So what do we do with things like this one? One child in 10,000 may develop cancer because of this dust. Not a big deal, you say. Well frankly it is if it’s your child or anyone else’s, for that matter. Mark is concerned that in a few years there will be lawyers advertising on TV to get people to sign up in class action law suits because their apartments were near a parking lot that may or may not have been sealed sometime with coal tar. Ykes – and you thought it was the tobacco and asbestos industries that were at risk.
But how do we deal with these discoveries. No one put coal tar on parking lots knowing they might cause cancer. In fact, often coal tar is used for medicinal purposes (cure for psoriases I think). But then, you aren’t eating it, just layering it on.
R says that 1 in 10,000 is a high number as these things go. But then, it does depend on the dose. If you drink enough water it can kill you, too.
How do we, as a society, handle these revelations? Immediately start tearing up drive ways and parking lots? Sue everyone in sight – chemical companies, lot owners, building owners, etc. Put up signs saying that if you walk on this street you could be tracking cancer causing stuff into your house? Recommend people actually clean their floors from time to time?
It seems to me that a modicum of common sense is called for here. Assuming the article is correct, then we stop sealing with this stuff. Relatively quickly the problem will simply go away. Maybe we tell folks living near these lots to wipe their feet before going inside and to wash their floors every so often. In a few years the problem will be no more.
My guess is that this will never happen, lawyers will become involved and then all bets are off.
JVH
