Coal tar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. It is the liquid by-product of the distillation of coal to make coke. The gaseous by-product of this process is commonly known as town gas.
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[edit] Applications
Being flammable, coal tar is sometimes used for heating or to fire boilers. Like most heavy oils, it must be heated before it will flow easily.
It can be made into coal tar soap, and is used in medicated shampoo to kill and repel head lice, and as a treatment for dandruff and psoriasis. When used as a medication in the U.S., coal tar preparations are considered an OTC (over-the-counter drug) pharmaceutical and are subject to regulation by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Name brands include Balnetar.
[edit] Safety
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, preparations that include more than 5 percent of crude coal tar are Group 1 carcinogen.
Despite this, the National Psoriasis Foundation claims coal tar is a valuable, safe and inexpensive treatment option for millions of people with psoriasis and other scalp conditions [1]
