AMA urges legislation to ban dangerous coal-tar sealcoats

The American Medical Association (AMA) adopted new policy aimed at reducing or ending the use of common coal-tar-based sealcoats that are used and applied on pavement and playgrounds across the country. The new policy advocates for legislation either to ban the use of pavement sealcoats containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) or to mandate the use of sealcoat products with minimal PAH. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, PAH compounds have been proven to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic to humans.