Senators Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., and John Warner, R-Va., today sent the attached letter to the EPA, urging the agency to conduct studies on how coal-tar based sealants used in asphalt pavement increase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water bodies, and how those PAHs affect human health and the environment. The request was sparked by recent studies by the city of Austin, Tex., and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) finding the sealants to be significant and previously unrecognized sources of PAHs in streams. PAHs are suspected human carcinogens, and the sealants are used nationwide. Click here to see a copy of the letter with its attachments.