Coal Tar vs Asphalt Sealer and the New Laws in Maine
It’s time we moved on from harmful coal-tar sealers
In the western United States, asphalt sealer has been the standard product for years. Here in the east, and especially the northeast, we’ve used predominately coal tar sealer. To describe it simply (and based upon our experience), coal tar sealer is a durable and highly chemically-active product (you can tell from the smell). Asphalt emulsion is a bit less durable, but more natural product. Over the years, increased awareness of the environmental and health concerns of coal tar pitch and its use in asphalt sealants has led to states such as ours to ban the product outright.
In 2019, the Maine legislature enacted P.L. 2019, Ch. 493, An Act Concerning Pavement Sealing Products, which prohibits the sale and application of coal-tar sealant products on driveways and parking lots. Beginning in October 2023, wholesale and retail sales of coal-tar sealant products are prohibited, and application of coal-tar sealant products is prohibited beginning in October 2024.
As we at Toothy Sealcoating make the switch to the safer and more sustainable asphalt sealer, we will be researching and testing any additives which may improve the performance of these products. We will also strongly recommend two coats in order to increase the sealer base depth to match or exceed the performance of what would previously be one coat of coal tar sealer.
There are plenty of resources online detailing the drawbacks of coal tar available for you if you want to research further. That said, we are happy to move in the direction of progress and make Maine greener by using a more environmentally friendly product into the future!
