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Asphalt covering roads releases toxic particles, study finds


A highway. Drawing. – PixaBay

The asphalt used to build the roads is said to be likely to leak toxic substances when exposed to sun and rain, say researchers Americans. Their work published on July 8 in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology evoke several thousand water-soluble components, detected during a simulation.

Chemistry specialists from the State University of Florida conducted an experiment in which they submerged asphalt spread on a sheet of glass before exposing it to the rays of a solar simulator for a week. The water was regularly sampled and analyzed. Another sample of road material was kept in the dark as a control.

More pollution over time

Scientists were thus able to determine the nature of the multiple molecules released into the water. “We found out that there were all these petroleum derivatives, probably toxic. We also noticed that the rejected components were more numerous with time ”, explains to the Florida State University News lead author of the study, Sydney Niles.

The other sample showed that the sun was at the origin of the phenomenon. Under its effect, the oxygen in the water and the hydrocarbons in the asphalt would create a photo oxidation giving rise to new molecules. “The consequences and what to do with it will be the subject of future scientific work,” said Ryan Rodgers, director of petroleum research in the laboratory where the simulation took place.

Sydney Niles said she hopes “engineers will use this data to find a better alternative” to asphalt. The researcher is thinking in particular of a new material or a substance that could cover the coating and limit its toxicity.

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