Committee on Health and Environmental Protection
April 19, 2017 City Council Meeting
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit government pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 (a) of the Illinois State Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule authority, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs, including the authority to regulate for the protection of public health and safety; and
WHEREAS, coal tar sealants are widely used in the City of Chicago, and can be found everywhere from driveways to school playgrounds; and
WHEREAS, more than 85 million tons of coal tar based sealants are used in the United States every year; and
WHEREAS, the wide use of coal tar sealants also results in contamination of water through run-off; and
WHEREAS, whereas coal tar contains high levels of toxic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); and
WHEREAS, exposure to the chemicals in coal tar are proven to cause such health problems as birth defects and an increased risk of lung, skin, bladder, and respiratory cancers, especially among children who are exposed to PAHs; and
WHEREAS, three cities in Illinois have enacted outright bans on the use of coal tar sealants, and numerous other counties and municipalities have adopted partial bans; and
WHEREAS, statewide bans of coal tar sealants have been enacted in Washington and Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, the American Medical Association recommended that legislation be enacted to ban the use of sealants containing PAHs, such as coal tar sealants due to the grave health and environmental risk presented by PAHs, NOW THEREFORE:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. The above recitals are expressly incorporated herein and made part hereof as though fully set forth herein.
SECTION 2. Chapter 7-28 of the Municipal Code of Chicago is hereby amended by inserting the underscored language in...
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