Your driveway could be making you sick. Some studies have linked a popular pavement sealant to cancer.
During the summer, Patricia Barley's kids are outside for hours on end.
"My children spend a lot of time on their driveway," she said.
It turns out that could pose a threat to their health.
"I had no idea," said Barley.
Asphalt driveways like the Barleys' are common, and a common type of sealant used to maintain pavement contains coal tar pitch which is considered a human carcinogen. You'll know it from the smell.
"There's a very strong vapor that comes off the coal tar," said Michael Pemberton, owner of Unique Paving Materials. He used to apply coal tar sealants to his clients' driveways.
"When you put coal tar down, it can really burn you if you get it on your skin," he said.
That's not all. Studies suggest coal tar sealant is a major source of suspected carcinogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Exposure occurs when, over time sealants crumble into dust and can be inhaled or washed into waterways.
One study estimates the lifetime risk for people who live adjacent to coal tar sealant is 38 times higher than someone who doesn't.
Pemberton says his exposure is a concern.
"Yeah, I'd say based on some of the studies I've read and everything, I've put a lot of tar sealer down when I was a young man," he said.
Unique Paving stopped using the sealant two decades ago and developed what they claim is a superior alternative for customers.
"It's asphalt based that has no tar in it," he said.
Two states have banned the used of coal tar sealants altogether. Across the country, more individual communities are banning the product or restricting its use.
Home Depot, Lowe's and Ace Hardware no longer sell coal tar sealants.
"Our thought was, well, there's a product out there that pretty much everyone agrees does not have environmental impacts, so let's give it a shot and see how it goes," said Jim Rodstrom, Cleveland Metroparks.
Consumers do have a choice.
"They should ask their contractor is what they're using is tar based or asphalt based," he said.
Not everyone agrees with coal tar study findings. The Pavement Coatings Technology Council has lobbied successfully against a number of proposed coal tar bans. A council spokesperson calls the findings "controversial science" and contends this type of sealant has been used safely for decades by applicators who follow industry guidelines.
