Coal tar the European Chemicals Agency. The exact mechanism of action is unknown. Coal tar is a complex mixture of phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heterocyclic compounds. It is a keratolytic agent, which reduces the growth rate of skin cells and softens the skin's keratin. Coal tar is produced through thermal destruction (pyrolysis) of coal. Its composition varies with the process and type of coal used – lignite, bituminous or anthracite. Coal tar contains approximately 10,000 chemicals, of which only about 50% have been identified. Components include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (4-rings: chrysene, fluoranthene, pyrene, triphenylene, naphthacene, benzanthracene, 5-rings: picene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[e]pyrene,
Coal in Australia of production was exported (389 Mt out of 503 Mt total). Coal mining in Australia has been criticized by members of the environmental movement, due to carbon dioxide emissions during combustion. This criticism is primarily directed at thermal coal, for its connection to coal-fired power stations as a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, and the link to climate change and the effects of global warming on Australia. The burning of coal for electricity produces 29% of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions, based on 2013-2014 Clean Energy Regulator data. The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which followed the draft report in