Despite the snow stacked along Philadelphia streets, it won't belong before Philadelphia homeowners are trading in their shovels for driveway squeegees. Spreading a new layer of thick, black, tarry sealant over asphalt driveways is an annual right of spring in Philadelphia. In use for more than 50 years, driveway sealant helps keep asphalt from cracking and crumbling, extending the life of asphalt driveways and parking lots. However, a new study reveals that using coal tar-based sealants could present a product liability issue that endangers the health of Philadelphia families.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating recent studies that have found dangerous levels of toxic compounds in many commonly sold driveway sealants. Driveway sealants are made from either petroleum or coal tar. While petroleum-based sealants have not been targeted, coal tar-based sealants can contain dangerous concentrations of toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH. Carried into homes on the bottoms of shoes by weekend warriors, PAH breaks down and becomes part of the household dust you breathe every day. These toxic compounds do additional damage to the environment when tiny grains of sealant are dislodged by car tires, brooms or snow shovels and carried into streets where rain water eventually washes these lethal compounds into Philadelphia's streams and rivers.
In a 2009 study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, the level of PAH found in household dust inside apartment buildings where parking lots were coated with coal-tar sealant was 25 times greater than normal. Published in the January 2010 issue of the Environmental Science and Technology journal, study authors expressed concern about the effect of PAH particles and dust on babies and crawling toddlers. Increased PAH in household dust could cause personal injury to asthmatics, the elderly and those suffering from pulmonary ailments or lung disease.
If you are concerned that you or a family member may have suffered personal injury from breathing PAH dust from driveway sealant, schedule a free consultation with a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer to investigate your rights.
