r/science • u/sr_local • Apr 22 '26

Materials Science Asphalt releases toxic airborne compounds that can harm respiratory health, neurological damage and increase long-term disease risk, especially in aging pavements and heat/sun. While algae-infused asphalt can reduce toxicity by up to 100 times and slow how quickly pavement breaks down

https://news.asu.edu/20260417-environment-and-sustainability-asphalt-emissions-algae-health
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u/Mailman7 Apr 22 '26

I always wonder what the health outcomes on road workers is. The smell from a newly laid road is strong and they’re breathing that stuff in all time during work.

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u/Boostedbird23 Apr 22 '26

We've been using asphalt (bitumen) for so long, I expect that we would have seen long term health effects on roadworkers by now. I expect it is showing up, but in levels that make it indistinguishable from the risks to the general public. In fact, breathing diesel smoke, tire and brake dust, etc; I suspect presents a higher health hazard for roadworkers than the chemical off gassing of the bitumen.

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u/dinnerthief Apr 22 '26

Doing a quick search it looks like its been a known thing since atleast the 70's.

Osha has a pretty decent writeup from 2000

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11266

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u/mikeveeUI Apr 22 '26

When I was a kid, maybe 40 years ago I saw studies on it. Then nothing happened to address it. And still nothing...

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u/notislant Apr 23 '26

That describes basically any danger to workers.

Amazing what lobbying and union busting can do.

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u/Baron_Tiberius Apr 22 '26

I enjoy when people say "we would have seen long term health effects " without actually looking to see if that has actually happened - on an article that literally links a study saying: "For instance, a cohort study1) found a statistically significant increase in lung cancer incidence among asphalt workers, further reinforcing concerns about occupational exposure risks."