1.What is bitumen?
Bitumen is a virtually non-volatile, adhesive and waterproofing material derived from the distillation of crude oil. It is produced by removing the lighter fractions from heavy crude oil during the refining process and is very viscous, almost solid, at ambient temperatures.
2. Is there a difference between bitumen and coal tar ?
Yes there is.
Bitumen is distilled from crude oil and is very different from coal tar, which is derived from processing (pyrolysis) of coal at very high temperatures. Coal tar was used for road building and water proofing, but was replaced by bitumen during the 1950s.
Although similar in appearance, the chemical composition of coal tar is very different from bitumen, as is the nature of hazard that coal tar presents to the user: coal tar is classified as carcinogenic, whereas bitumen is not.
3. Should the general public be concerned about any hazards from bitumen?
No. Bitumen in use, for example, on roads, roofs or pavements, are inert and do not present any known health or environmental hazard. Bitumen is usually applied hot. Hot bitumen gives off fumes, which can cause respiratory tract or eye irritation. Apart from this temporary irritation, under normal conditions there is no evidence that working with bitumen is hazardous to worker health.