Does an asphalt facility keep hazardous chemicals on site?
A. Liquids that must be handled with care at an asphalt facility are: • fuel oil for the burner, the same kind of fuel oil you may be using to heat your home; • fuel for vehicles, the same product you buy at the gas station; and • at some facilities, a small amount of solvents for the quality control lab. These solvents are used in small quantities with great care, and new lab procedures are quickly making solvents obsolete. By federal law, a hot mix asphalt facility must keep these products, including the fuel oil, either in underground tanks that meet strict EPA standards or in aboveground tanks surrounded by berms that would hold all the contents in the event of a spill. Q. What happens if there is an asphalt spill? A. Asphalt cement starts to harden the moment it cools. Unless its 250 degrees Fahrenheit outside, it simply cannot travel over the ground more than a few feet. It will not penetrate the soil more than an inch or two before solidifying. Asphalt cement does not mix with,
