Yahoo Autos Tire Dust Is the ‘DDT Of Our Generation’
Research scientists are sounding the alarm in the Pacific Northwest after this month’s “atmospheric river” drenched much of the state’s roads, sending brake and tire dust into rivers, streams and, eventually, the Pacific Ocean.
We all know the exhaust from our cars is bad for our health and the environment, but dust from tire and brake wear is just as damaging. California experienced heavy storms in the early half of January, which sent heavily polluted runoff from the roads to the waterways. It turns out there’s a particular chemical found in tires that seem to suffocate the highly endangered coho salmon. From Forbes (paywall):
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A growing body of research indicates that in addition to being a major source of microplastic pollution, the chemical 6PPD, an additive that’s used to keep tires from wearing out, reacts with ozone in the atmosphere to form a toxic new substance scientists call 6PPD-Quinone. It’s killing coho salmon and likely harms other types of fish, which exhibit symptoms resembling suffocation.
The devastation of the coho, which the U.S. designates as an endangered species, has reached crisis level. In California’s Central Coast, estimates suggest the fish is already close to extinction, with its population plunging from as high as 500,000 fish in the 1940s to a few thousand currently. While generally more abundant in Washington state, the population of wild coho salmon was estimated to have plunged to around 200,000, a third of the level of 2021, according to Puget Sound Institute. And while tire manufacturers say they’re following the issue closely, they don’t know when or if they’ll have a safe alternative to 6PPD. They’ve been using it for decades.
“This is the DDT of our generation,” David Troutt, head of natural resources for the Nisqually Tribe in Washington, told Forbes. “This thing is killing salmon every time it rains in the Puget Sound region. We can’t take it anymore.”
But it isn’t just this one fish pollution we should worry about. Tire dust accounts for 6 million tons of micro-pollutants each year, current estimates suggest. With such a mass of material it’s not just salmon which are threatened by chemicals in tire dust. And it’s almost certainly not just 6PPD-Quinone we have to worry about. California’s Department of Toxic Substance Control is also investigating six other harmful chemicals found in tires. 6PPD-Quinone is considered the “low hanging fruit” of researchers investigating tire dust’s impact on the environment, Forbes reports. Tires contain all sorts of heavy metals, chemicals and synthetic compounds, the effects of which on humans and their environment are not completely understood.
