Tire Dust Makes Up the Majority of Ocean Microplastics, Study Finds

[BootinUp]

Researchers say tire emissions pose a threat to global health, and EVs could make the problem worse.

BY LEWIN DAY
PUBLISHED SEP 28, 2023 9:06 AM EDT

When contemplating the emissions from road vehicles, our first thought is often about the various gases coming out of the tailpipe. However, new research shows that we should be more concerned with the harmful particles that are shed from tires and brakes.

Scientists have a good understanding of engine emissions, which typically consist of unburnt fuel, oxides of carbon and nitrogen, and particulate matter related to combustion. However, new research shared by Yale Environment 360 indicates that there may be a whole host of toxic chemicals being shed from tires and brakes that have been largely ignored until now. Even worse, these emissions may be so significant that they actually exceed those from a typical car's exhaust output.

A research paper published in 2020 highlighted the impact of tire pollution by examining the plight of coho salmon in West Coast streams. Scientists eventually identified a chemical called 6PPD, typically used in tire manufacturing to slow cracking and degradation. When exposed to ozone in the atmosphere, the chemical transforms into multiple other species, including 6PPD-quinone—which was found to be highly toxic to multiple fish, including coho salmon. The same chemical has since been detected in human urine, though any potential health impacts remain unknown.

The discovery of 6PPD-q and its impact has brought new scrutiny to the pollution generated by particles shedding from tires and brakes. In particular, tire rubber is made up of over 400 different chemical compounds, many of which are known to have negative effects on human health.

continued https://www.thedrive.com/news/tire-dust-makes-up-the-majority-of-ocean-microplastics-study-finds

[captain queeg]

1. I'd never thought of it till a couple years ago, but all that tire wear produces a shit ton of dust

There are some occasional skid marks but the vast majority end up in the air.

[lapfog_1]

2. so I guess we should all drive this vehicle.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. Those appear to be stone rollers -- silicosis source.

[Old Crank]

7. Only from the

High performance ones.. 😁

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. How many tires are being ground down right now?

If you've ever worked on brakes, you know how much dust each pad generates.

[Old Crank]

6. The good news about brake dust

Is that with regenerative braking systems dust from pads and rotor wear has decreased by a lot. Fully autonomous vehicles may reduce the amount to near zero.

But it will be a decade to cut that down because cars last longer these days.

[onetexan]

5. Whose great idea was it to dump tires into the ocean in the first place?

[EarnestPutz]

11. My thought was that tire dust on roads blows or washes into the oceans.

[PurgedVoter]

8. I suspect that regenerative breaking reduces the dust considerably.

Thus hybrids and electronic vehicles, when driven with planning and responsible driving, might reduce this despite the higher weight of batteries.

It is quite possible that the chemistry we are using to make tires could change. I am pretty sure there is some obsolescence designed into tires. I remember in the 70's tires that the highway patrol used in West Texas, were legendary for how long they lasted. We need to stop letting billionaires decide what chemicals we use and we need to stop allowing planned obsolescence.

Capitalism should not be allowed to destroy our planet. EV or not, tires are going to be used in any case so tires need to be made differently.

[James48]

9. Oh, great.

Now we have to quickly identify the worst chemicals that we can figure out how to remove from the process.

Ok scientists- another important task for you to start on. Science of tire and brake transformation to other products to improve human health.

[czarjak]

12. Once the nukes start flying, probably won't be THAT big of a deal.