Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that New York lawmakers passed a bill this week that, if signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, would ban the use of coal tar in pavement sealing. Minnesota, Washington state, and the District of Columbia already have a ban on the suspected carcinogen. Coal tar, a byproduct in the making of coking coal for steelmaking and other industrial uses, is not dangerous by itself. It even has medicinal uses because of its anti-fungal and anti-itching properties. But in pavement sealant, coal tar contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are believed to bind to DNA. If Cuomo signs the bill, the ban won't start for two years. Read more about this story in the Times Union.