Tires as an emerging aquatic pollutant

Background Information

Long considered “safe” and relatively inert, new research is showing tires to be a more damaging material than previously thought. As tires wear out during normal use little bits of tires are released into the environment. These small particles, which are a form of microplastics, are easily moved by wind and water and so are distributed far beyond the roads where they originate. When exposed to sunlight and water these tire wear particles (TWP) begin to break down and leach chemicals into the environment. 6PPD-Quinone, one of these chemicals, is highly toxic to a number of aquatic species, especially Coho salmon.

With the help of our partners, we are interested in developing better ways to determine the distribution and monitor the presence of TWP and 6PPD-Q in the Columbia River Basin with a long-term goal of remediating these contaminants.