Tox Profile Published for Chemical Compounds Used in Asphalt, Other Industries

A new final toxicological profile for creosote, which includes products such as wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles, is available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ATSDR describes these products as “mixtures of many chemicals created by burning of beech and other woods, coal, or from the resin of the creosote bush.” Workers who may be exposed to creosote compounds like coal tar pitch and coal tar pitch volatiles include those in the asphalt, rubber, aluminum, iron, steel, tire, and coke-producing industries. According to ATSDR, coal tar creosote is widely used as a wood preservative in the U.S., and those who work to build fences, bridges, or railroad tracks with creosote-treated wood are at risk of exposure. Workers who install telephone poles may also be exposed to wood treated with creosote.

An information sheet accompanying ATSDR’s new tox profile describes a number of health effects observed among workers and laboratory animals exposed to creosote. For example, some studies link skin rashes, severe skin irritation, and chemical burns to the surface of the eye with exposure to creosote compounds. Other studies of workers and laboratory animals found that breathing coal tar in the air can lead to breathing problems and respiratory tract irritation. And ATSDR notes that workers exposed to creosote long term had an increase in cancer of the respiratory tract, skin, lung, pancreas, kidney, scrotum, prostate, rectum, bladder, and central nervous system.

Tox profiles are peer-reviewed evaluations of toxicological information on hazardous substances. A full list of toxic substances with published profiles is available on ATSDR website.