# Asphalt fumes - how toxic are they?



## tamagotchi (Oct 16, 2005)

We just got a notification that the city will be repaving our street this summer. Repaving will start in July and will last "at least two months." We were really hoping to get a lot of use out of our lovely big shady yard this summer, but it's right next to the road (we live on the corner).







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I'm pregnant (due in October) and also have a 21 month old DS, so of course I'm concerned about toxicity of fumes from repaving. How much should I worry about this? Is it bad enough that we will need to rent a house somewhere else for the summer? Of course we just bought this house so we can't afford that!








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## tamagotchi (Oct 16, 2005)

No one has any information? Do I need to post this in a different place? I haven't been very successful in searching for relevant information on the web.


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## ~Demeter~ (Jul 22, 2006)

Upon a quick google search I came up with this OSHA site. You might want to take a look into some of the links listed there.

Here's another link I came across. This one is on the toxicity in children and the developing fetus.


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## ~Demeter~ (Jul 22, 2006)

Hmm.. it appears from just scrolling through google that they are pretty toxic, are known to cause cancer and some other problems. It seems the only information available though is for people that have to work with it not really anything on how it effects residents or pregnant women.


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## aylaanne (Mar 7, 2007)

If the repaving process is set to take the whole summer, I doubt that this entire time you'll be exposed to asphault fumes. The first stages of repaving usually include demolishing the old asphault, grading the pavement below, and filling potholes before they repave. You may want to contact your city highway department to find out when exactly they're planning on laying new asphault in front of your house, and simply plan to be away for the duration of that day. The fumes don't linger around long after the pavement is lain. If you're worried about driving through it, Almost every car's ventilation system has a function where the air recirculates through the car, instead of coming from the outside. You may want to make sure that this function is working in your car before the process starts.

I think the fumes are pretty nasty, but I don't think they're bad enough to move. With a few coping strategies and adequate communication from the pavers about what's happening when, you should be able to avoid the brunt of the fumes.

Good luck!


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