It is officially summer and construction road crews & roofing is in full swing. Some projects require the use and application of coal tar pitch. Not only is it stinky, it is is hazardous.
Here’s some info:
- Uses
- Roofing
- Asphalt seal coating
- Pharmaceutical treatment for psoriasis (scalp/skin condition)
- Graphite industry (in the production of graphite)
- General
- Coal tar pitch is actually a make-up of a bunch of different substances (maybe even 10,000 of them)
- Contains lots of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other chemicals including: benzene, pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene, phenanthrene, anthracene
- Exposure
- can be exposed by inhalation, ingestion (is this likely?), or exposure to skin, eyes
- considered a carcinogen if the product contains more than 5% of coal tar
- cancers include: skin, scrotal, lungs, bladder, kidney & digestive
- increases your sensitivity to sunlight (easier to sunburn)
- Safety
- Pick a sealant/coating that does not contain coal tar. A list of some can be found here.
- Avoid inhalation & skin/eye contact
- Train your employees. A sample safety SDS (MSDS) can be found here.
- Wear the correct PPE.
- Air sample to determine exposures. OSHA has a method (58).
- Resources
