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In fact, Mariani says that he thinks many of the difficulties contractors may have experienced when they tried asphalt sealers for the first time were because they handled them like coal tar sealers.

"The challenge will be to re-educate the market," he says. "Asphalt-based sealers can be useful but they will require a whole different way of handling."

Blended materials
Manufacturers say handling and use of blended products which contain both asphalt and coal tar is determined by which product dominates the blend.

For the last five years Vance Brothers has produced its asphalt/coal tar blend to adjust to the coal tar shortage.

"The percentage of asphalt to coal tar changes because we want to sell coal tar to our customers whenever possible because it's a better product," Vance says. "We think blends are better than straight asphalt base because we think that coal tar works better than asphalt. If a contractor asks me whether he should put down a blend or an asphalt emulsion sealer I'll tell him to use the blend because he will be getting some of the coal tar benefits."