Tire Wear Particles and 6PPD-Quinone (Coho Salmon Mass Mortality Agent, Microplastic Pollution, Stormwater Toxicity) — safety profile
High riskTire wear particles (TWP) are the largest source of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, with an estimated 6 million tonnes generated globally per year (Kole et al., 2017).
What is this product?
Tire wear particles (TWP) are the largest source of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, with an estimated 6 million tonnes generated globally per year (Kole et al., 2017). In 2020, researchers at the University of Washington identified 6PPD-quinone — a transformation product of the tire rubber antioxidant 6PPD (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine) reacting with ground-level ozone — as the causative agent of recurring coho salmon mass mortality events in Pacific Northwest urban streams. 6PPD-quinone is acutely lethal to coho salmon at concentrations as low as 0.8 ug/L (LC50 0.095 ug/L for juvenile coho), making it one of the most toxic identified urban stormwater contaminants. Tire rubber contains 0.4-2% 6PPD by weight; upon wear, 6PPD oxidizes to 6PPD-quinone on road surfaces and is transported to waterways via stormwater runoff. Beyond 6PPD-quinone, tire wear particles contain zinc (1-2% by weight from zinc oxide vulcanization activator), PAHs, benzothiazoles, and microplastic rubber fragments that persist in aquatic sediments. Washington State became the first jurisdiction globally to ban 6PPD in tires (HB 1085, signed 2024, effective 2030).
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