Coal-tar debate brings Seal-Tite to town

The city of Springfield is considering banning the use of coal tar, a substance commonly used to resurface and seal cracks in parking lots, and a Clinton-based business is positioning itself for the possible shift.

Seal-Tite Pavement Products opened a Springfield warehouse and distribution center at 741 N. West Bypass in March after learning that the city was exploring a ban on the use of coal-tar sealant.

“We decided to bring our product down here because it is environmentally friendly, and that way contractors would have an alternative source,” said Rodney Ashworth, who founded Seal-Tite in 2006 to manufacture Rhyno Seal, his patented asphalt-based coal tar replacement product.

“We put crushed slate flour as an aggregate in our product, so it has a very high solid content,” he said.

Cause for concern
At the crux of the controversy with coal tar is a substance called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH, which has been found in recent studies to have possible links to cancer, immune deficiencies and decreased IQ. The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a national study on the issue, and several communities, including Austin, Texas, already have banned the use of coal tar as a result.

Todd Wagner, principal stormwater engineer for Springfield Public Works, said coal tar was brought to the attention of Springfield City Council by the Springfield-Greene County Advisory Board, which learned coal tar could cause problems with water quality.

“They presented their research that they did to council (and) felt like council should consider banning it because of the research that they had found,” Wagner said.

A complete ban on coal tar has not come down. City Council’s Community Involvement Committee is looking into the issue, having heard presentations in favor of and against banning coal tar, said Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky, chairwoman of the committee.

Presenters included a representative from Austin to speak about that city’s ban, and Pavement Coatings Technology Council Director Anne LeHuray speaking in opposition to a ban.

Rushefsky said while the committee is scheduled this month to make its coal-tar recommendation, members may choose to allow additional presentations.

“The question will become … is there a consensus on the committee to go in one direction or another? And I don’t know what the answer to that is,” she said.

Once the committee presents its recommendation to council, the next step would depend on the nature of the recommendation.

Education and outreach
One alternative to an overall ban is a six-month educational campaign, Rushefsky said, nothing that some local school districts and St. John’s Health System have pledged to stop using coal tar in their projects because of health concerns.

Wagner said city staff would like to put educational materials about coal tar into their water quality protection program so that businesses can decide for themselves whether to use it.

“We’ll be in touch with the larger operations like the government agencies, schools, hospitals, just making sure they are aware of the potential health risks with coal tar-based sealant,” he said.

Already, some Springfield sealing companies have been using alternative sealants.
Joe Manzardo, owner of Springfield Striping and Sealing, said that two months ago, in light of the city’s exploration of the coal-tar issue, he announced that his company would only offer asphalt emulsion sealer, but he didn’t get the customer response he’d hoped for.

“I tried explaining that we were only going to offer the asphalt emulsion, and that wasn’t the answer they wanted to hear,” Manzardo said. “We’ve had a few customers who have responded positively to it, but what we’ve found is some backlash because of what customers have heard.”

Manzardo said asphalt emulsion products can be more expensive than coal tar, but he declined to give a specific price comparison. Other concerns may be related to appearance, as the city’s Wagner said many businesses prefer coal for its deep black appearance.

“Asphalt tends to fade a lot. Over two to three years, it will fade. It’s still good, it just doesn’t look new,” Wagner said. “(Coal tar) tends to hold its black color better than asphalt.”

Manzardo’s company backed off of its switch to asphalt emulsion products, and now gives customers a choice about which material they want to use. He said he doesn’t have an opinion on whether the city should institute a ban on coal tar.

“Honestly, I want the whole thing to go away,” Manzardo said.

As more cities consider the use of coal-tar bans or alternatives, Ashworth’s company is poised to take its products nationwide. The company already has licensed franchises in Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, and other franchise and distrubutorships are expected to come on line as well, he said.

Seal-Tite employs six in Clinton, and two – an operations manager and a sales manager – at its Springfield facility, which includes a 10,000-gallon storage tank.