Comment on “Parking Lot Sealcoat:  An Unrecognized Source of Urban Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons”

DeMott, Robert P.; Gauthier, Thomas

doi:10.1021/es060326t

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…While there were overlaps in the observed ratios for the sealed lot particles and sediments, other potential sources that often have similar ratios were not considered. As noted by DeMott and Gauthier (2006), ratios did not overlap between lots and sediments from the same urban area.…”

mentioning

confidence: 54%

Forensic Assessment of Refined Tar-Based Sealers as a Source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Sediments

O’Reilly

Pietari

Boehm

2012

Environmental Forensics

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Atmospheric deposition of particles and their subsequent transport by stormwater are a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban sediments. Recently, the results of forensic analysis have been used to promote a hypothesis that refined tar-based pavement sealers (RT-sealers) are another significant source. To evaluate this hypothesis, a suite of forensic methods was applied to a wider range of PAH data for this study. Sediments PAH profiles are no more similar to RT-sealers than they are to a number of other environmental inputs. While RT-sealers were not eliminated as a potential source in some locations, forensic methods did not differentiate their contribution from other sources of PAHs, indicating RT-sealers are not a unique or readily quantifiable source of PAHs to the urban environment.

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mentioning

confidence: 54%

Forensic Assessment of Refined Tar-Based Sealers as a Source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Sediments

O’Reilly

Pietari

Boehm

2012

Environmental Forensics

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“…A study by Mahler et al (2005) claimed that runoff from sealcoated parking lots may dominate the PAH loading in urban watersheds [118]. However, a rebuttal to the paper by Demott and Gauthier (2006) 2005)) found high levels of PAHs in the dust from coal-tar-based sealcoats [120]. Concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (a potent PAH) in the pavement and adjacent soils exceeded generic soil screening levels, leading the authors to suggest that sealcoats pose a human health risk.…”

Section: Leachatementioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment of Pavements: A Critical Review of Existing Literature and Research

Santero¹,

Masanet²,

Horvath³

2010

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This report provides a critical review of existing literature and modeling tools related to lifecycle assessment (LCA) applied to pavements. The review finds that pavement LCA is an expanding but still limited research topic in the literature, and that the existing body of work exhibits methodological deficiencies and incompatibilities that serve as barriers to the widespread utilization of LCA by pavement engineers and policy makers. This review identifies five key issues in the current body of work: inconsistent functional units, improper system boundaries, imbalanced data for asphalt and cement, use of limited inventory and impact assessment categories, and poor overall utility. This review also identifies common data and modeling gaps in pavement LCAs that should be addressed in future work. These gaps include: the use phase (rolling resistance, albedo, carbonation, lighting, leachate, and tire wear and emissions), asphalt fumes, feedstock energy of bitumen, traffic delay, the maintenance phase, and the end-of-life phase. This review concludes with a comprehensive list of recommendations for future research, which shed light on where improvements in knowledge can be made that will benefit the accuracy and comprehensiveness of pavement LCAs moving forward.

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“…As presented in Mahler et al (), which specific sediment samples were used in the ratio analysis is not clear. A similar evaluation in the same urban area identified clear differences in the ratios of sediments and samples from either sealed or unsealed parking lots (DeMott and Gauthier ).…”

Section: Case Study: Are Refined Tar‐based Sealers a Major Source Of mentioning

confidence: 79%

Parsing pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Forensic chemistry, receptor models, and source control policy

O’Reilly

Pietari

Boehm

2014

Integr Environ Assess Manag

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A realistic understanding of contaminant sources is required to set appropriate control policy. Forensic chemical methods can be powerful tools in source characterization and identification, but they require a multiple-lines-of-evidence approach. Atmospheric receptor models, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)'s chemical mass balance (CMB), are increasingly being used to evaluate sources of pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments. This paper describes the assumptions underlying receptor models and discusses challenges in complying with these assumptions in practice. Given the variability within, and the similarity among, pyrogenic PAH source types, model outputs are sensitive to specific inputs, and parsing among some source types may not be possible. Although still useful for identifying potential sources, the technical specialist applying these methods must describe both the results and their inherent uncertainties in a way that is understandable to nontechnical policy makers. The authors present an example case study concerning an investigation of a class of parking-lot sealers as a significant source of PAHs in urban sediment. Principal component analysis is used to evaluate published CMB model inputs and outputs. Targeted analyses of 2 areas where bans have been implemented are included. The results do not support the claim that parking-lot sealers are a significant source of PAHs in urban sediments.

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Comment on “Parking Lot Sealcoat: An Unrecognized Source of Urban Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons”

Cited by 12 publications

References 3 publications

Forensic Assessment of Refined Tar-Based Sealers as a Source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Sediments

Forensic Assessment of Refined Tar-Based Sealers as a Source of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Sediments

Life Cycle Assessment of Pavements: A Critical Review of Existing Literature and Research

Parsing pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Forensic chemistry, receptor models, and source control policy

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