Asphalt is everywhere; but is it bad for our health?

Key Points:

• Approximately 40% of Phoenix’s land is covered by paved surfaces, which contribute to the urban heat island effect by absorbing and slowly releasing heat, increasing energy consumption in the city.
• Research led by Elham Fini at Arizona State University highlights that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from asphalt, especially under heat and sunlight, degrade air quality and pose health risks including respiratory issues, lung cancer, and neurological damage.
• Aging pavement releases increasingly toxic and often odorless VOCs that can penetrate deep into the body, with heat exacerbating these harmful emissions, raising concerns for construction workers and residents in hot, car-centric cities like Phoenix.
• Fini’s innovative work includes developing algae-infused asphalt binders that significantly reduce the toxicity of VOC emissions by about 100-fold, potentially lowering pavement degradation and maintenance costs while improving environmental safety.
• Ongoing collaborations with institutions like Mayo Clinic aim to better understand asphalt emissions’ health impacts and promote safer, less toxic paving materials, with real-world testing planned in Phoenix to assess long-term environmental effects.