Frequently Asked Question about Coal Tar Pitch ExposureChoose a question below
Q: What is coal tar pitch?
A: Coal Tar Pitch (CTP) is a black substance used in a variety of industries. It is created during the destruction of bituminous coal. Industries commonly using coal tar pitch include the aluminum industry, the steel industry and industries involving creosote treatments. Coal tar pitch is typically either a thick liquid or a semisolid. It has a strong smell. Coal tar pitch releases dangerous chemicals when it is heated. OSHA recognizes coal tar pitch as a carcinogen.
Q: Where was coal tar pitch used in the aluminum smelter industry?
A: In the aluminum industry, companies like Alcoa, Inc. use coal tar pitch as a key ingredient in the manufacture of anode blocks. Anode blocks are huge carbon blocks that are used to conduct electricity into the aluminum smelting receptacle (commonly called an "aluminum pot"). Carbon anode blocks weigh up to 2,645 pounds.
Aluminum smelters use rows of pots in huge buildings to produce aluminum on an industrial scale. Pots are arranged into what are called "pot lines." These pot lines each burn up anode blocks during the production of aluminum. The leftover anode blocks are called "butts."
Alcoa uses many thousands of pounds of coal tar in its smelters each year. Likewise, Alcan and other major aluminum companies continue to use coal tar in massive quantities.
Q: Besides aluminum smelting, where else is coal tar pitch used?
A: Coal tar pitch is also used in coke ovens. The steel industry uses coal tar pitch in industrial quantities. The creosote railroad tie industry uses huge quantities of benzene containing coal tar. Utility poles and other lumber are sometimes treated with coal tar to retard insect infestations. Plants throughout the United States use coal tar to treat wood in this way.
Q: What kinds of cancer can be linked to coal tar pitch exposure?
A: Some experts have linked bladder cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer and melanoma skin cancer to coal tar pitch exposure. Other cancers may be caused by coal tar as well. There is evidence to suggest that scrotal cancer may also be associated with long-term exposure to coal tar pitch.
Facts about bladder cancer:
Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the United States. Over fifty thousand people will be diagnosed with it this year. In addition to coal tar pitch, cigarette smoking is known to play a role in bladder cancer development. Most bladder cancers originate in the urothelium - the lining of the bladder.
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. Frequent urination and painful urination are two other possible symptoms. All of these symptoms can also be from other causes as well. It is important to see your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms.
The survival rate for bladder cancer is good, especially if the tumors are caught and treated early. That's why you should go to your doctor immediately if you even suspect a problem with your bladder.
The National Cancer Institute provides comprehensive up-to-date information about bladder cancer. Click here to enter their site:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/bladder
Facts about lung cancer:
Lung cancer has been linked by experts to exposure to coal tar pitch. Other substances known to contribute to lung cancer are cigarette smoke and asbestos. There are two types of lung cancer: small-cell lung cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer. The non-small cell lung cancer is the most common, accounting for the majority of cases. Small-cell lung cancer is less common, but more deadly. It spreads faster. Often, small-cell lung cancer has already spread to other areas of the body before it is diagnosed.
Common symptoms of lung cancer include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and sometimes even chest pain. However, the early stages of lung cancer seldom have any symptoms, so you should be sure that you discuss your risk for lung cancer with your doctor to determine if you should have testing done to try and early detect any possible lung cancer. The most important advice you can have if you've been exposed to asbestos, coal tar pitch, or cigarette smoke is to be sure that you talk to your doctor about your elevated risk. You should also be aware that combining smoking with exposure to asbestos or coal tar pitch may increase your risk for lung cancer a great deal. Cigarette smoking and exposure to coal tar pitch or asbestos can cause what is known as a synergistic effect. That is, the combination of these substances can increase your risk of lung cancer by many times more than the risk you would have if you simply were exposed to one of the substances.
The United States Government maintains an excellent website on lung cancer that will answer almost any question you may have.
Click here for the Government site on lung cancer: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungcancer.html
Facts about kidney cancer:
According to the Mayo Clinic, coal oven workers in steel plants have increased rates of kidney cancer. Kidney cancer is sometimes detected when a patient finds blood in their urine. Other common signs include a pain in the back just below the ribs and sudden weight loss. You should tell your doctor if you have been exposed to coal tar pitch so the doctor knows you may have a heightened risk for kidney cancer. It is important that all your health care providers know about your exposure to asbestos, coal tar pitch, or other substances such as cigarette smoke, that may have a negative effect on your health.
Kidney cancer is increasingly treatable, especially if it is detected early and dealt with promptly. Most kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma, although other more rare forms exist. For more information, see the Mayo Clinic Website on kidney cancer:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kidney-cancer/DS00360
Facts about melanoma:
Melanoma is a potentially deadly skin cancer. It is one of the most common cancers. Over 50,000 people per year are diagnosed with melanoma in the United States. While there are melanomas of other areas of the body such as the eye, skin is by far the most common. Coal tar pitch may be associated with the development of melanoma in some people who were exposed to coal tar pitch over a long period of time.
While melanoma is dreaded and feared by many people, its survival rates are improving. Like any cancer, the earlier melanoma is detected, the more treatable it is. One of the things that makes melanoma particularly dangerous is its tendency to spread throughout the body quickly. Therefore, it is very important that anyone who suspects they have any skin cancer go to the doctor immediately.
An excellent resource for learning more about melanoma is the Journal of the American Medical Association patient page on melanoma.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/292/22/2800
Q: How did Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP become a leader in the investigation of coal tar pitch cases?
A: We are located less than twenty miles from one of Alcoa's aluminum smelters. The Rockdale works has been producing aluminum since 1952. Today the plant in Rockdale is still huge, employing over 1,000 people in the manufacture of aluminum. Many of the workers in Rockdale, Texas and Point Comfort, Texas plants have expressed concern about their exposure to coal tar pitch.
Q: What other industries use coal tar pitch?
A: Other industries that use coal tar pitch besides the aluminum industry are: coke oven industries, paving, asphalt construction, wood preservation and railroad tie manufacturing. Telephone and utility poles are also commonly treated with coal tar pitch or its derivatives.
Q: How does coal tar pitch get in the air? A: When coal tar pitch is heated, it causes the release of various dangerous chemicals. These chemicals are referred to as coal tar pitch volatiles (CTPV). They are sometimes described as having a smoky smell or a chemical fume smell. If you are familiar with the way creosote smells, then you have an idea what the volatiles smell like in the air. The coal tar pitch volatiles drift into the air any time coal tar is baked; once airborne they are breathed by workers. These dangerous chemicals are also absorbed through the skin and membranes.
Q: How safe is exposure to coal tar pitch? A: Coal tar pitch can cause cancer. According to government documents, coal tar pitch may cause skin, lung and bladder cancer. Breathing in coal tar pitch is certainly not a good idea. OSHA has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of .2 mg per cubic meter over an eight hour time weighted average exposure period. However, anyone concerned about their exposure to high levels of coal tar pitch in the past should discuss their exposure with their physician. There is no predetermined level of exposure below which diseases can be ruled out with scientific certainty. Coal tar pitch contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). When these particles get into the air, they can easily be breathed into the human lungs. Naphthalene is one of the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons found in coal tar. Naphthalene is at least partly responsible for the pungent odor that coal tar emits when heated. Another dangerous component of coal tar that many people are familiar with is benzene. Benzene is a chemical that has been linked by some experts to increased cancer risk in workers who are exposed to long-term high dosages of the chemical.
Q: What companies make coal tar pitch?
A: One of the largest makers of coal tar pitch is Koppers, Inc. Other companies making or marketing coal tar pitch included United States Steel, Great Lakes Carbon, LLC., and several large oil/energy companies. Many of these companies either currently make coal tar pitch or made the pitch in the past along with other chemicals and products.
Q: What is happening in coal tar pitch litigation?
A: In recent lawsuits filed against coal tar pitch makers in Pennsylvania and Texas, several large firms are named as responsible. These lawsuits allege that the manufacturers of coal tar pitch were aware of the cancer-causing nature of their product for many years, and yet did not warn the end-users of their products that the products could be dangerous. The lawsuits allege that the warnings given by coal tar pitch manufacturers were either non-existent or worded so mildly as to not cause alarm among the end users.
Some lawsuits also name as defendants the companies that use coal tar pitch in their plants, such as Alcoa. These lawsuits generally involve a plaintiff who has contracted bladder cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, lung or other cancers.
Useful links where you can learn more about coal tar pitch and its dangers:
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