Through research, scientists have discovered that creosote and creosote-related items such as coal tar - including pitch and pitch volatiles - are proven carcinogenics. These are often made up from an array of chemicals and used in various manners. Creosote was once used as a cough medicine and consuming foods or water with high levels of creosote can cause serious side effects including kidney or liver damage.

It has even been discovered that temporary exposure to large amounts of creosotes caused employee poisonings as well as increased their risk of side effects such as kidney and liver disease, seizures, skin irritation similar to chemical burns, rashes, mental disarray and death.

However, when an individual is exposed to lower levels of creosote over longer periods of time and direct skin contact occurs, the risk of skin damage similar to a severe sunburn as well as cornea damage are increased. Longer exposures to the vapors of the creosotes, coal tar, coal tar pitch, or coal tar pitch volatiles can also cause irritation of the respiratory tract.

With direct skin contact during wood treatment or other manufacture of creosote-treated products as well as coke and natural gas factories, causes skin and scrotum cancer.

Prolonged skin exposure to soot and coal tar creosote has been associated with cancer of the scrotum in chimney sweepers. In studies, rats and mice fed a large amount of wood creosote at one time had convulsions and died. Laboratory studies on animals, such as rats, found that when fed small amounts of wood creosote over time, usually the rats developed liver and kidney diesease, eventually resulting in death. Exposure to coal tar products through the skin has resulted in skin cancer in animals.

Animals intentionally exposed to coal-tar contaminated food eventually developed lung, liver and stomach cancer, according to studies. Additionally, air exposure to coal tar caused the development of lung and skin cancers.

Coal tar and probably creosote have been classified as a carcinogenics to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also identified coal tar creosote as a probable human carcinogen.

Testing for Creosote Exposure

Unfortunately, no medical test can determine if a person has suffered exposure to wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch mixtures, or coal tar pitch volatiles. Doctors can detect and measure chemicals contained in creosote (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or phenols) in body tissues (organs, muscle, or fat), urine, or blood after exposure to creosote. Typically, doctors perform such tests on employees who work with and are exposed to coal tar creosote, coal tar, and coal tar pitch to monitor their exposure.