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Non-poisonous Road Materials. The report of the Roads Dressing Subcommittee,

29th January 1924
Page 4
Page 4, 29th January 1924 — Non-poisonous Road Materials. The report of the Roads Dressing Subcommittee,
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

which was appointed to study the influence on fish and other forms of stream life of washings from bituminous .rea.ds. which has just been issued, details the elaborate experiments made. to test the effect of-rain washings from roads of this description.

• It • may be remembered that in an interith report published-by the Ministry of Transport and dated March 14th, 1922, the late Joint Fisheries Transport _Committee . recommended highways authorities to give preference to asphaltic bitumen 'free from tar products for the treatment of roads draining directly into fishing waters.

The sub-committee has been engaged in practical tests during 1922 and 1923, and the bituminous surfaces from which washings have been collected for physiological and chemical examination were laid on Class 1 main roads and have included (1) squeegeed mats of bitumen on ordinary macadam ; (2) squeegeed coats of. bitumen on bituminous macadam ; (3) bituminous sand-carpeting on bituminous base.

The sub-committee states that in no case has a representative sample of road washing from these surfaces possessed, C20

after adequate aeration, measurable toxic action in the undiluted state on fish ca other form of stream life, animal or vegetable. After detailing the elaborate experinuents carried out, with these classes of road, the report concludes with a statement to the effect that the committee is of the opinion that, drainage from.bituminous roads of the nature described will show no appreciable toxic character due either to soluble materials extraded by the rain from the bitumen itself or to colloidal particles derived from the bituminous surface on disiutegeatiso.

The widespread use of bitumens, such as rnexplialte and spramex for road construction and surface dressings is, therefore, endorsed.


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