rubber pollution
{{Infobox event
| title = Rubber Pollution
| image = Litter.JPG
| image_size = 300px
| location = Global
| cause = Improper disposal of rubber products
Wear and tear, abrasion of rubber products
| effect = Environmental contamination, harm to wildlife
| participants = Various environmental organizations
}}
{{Short description|Pollution due to rubber dust particles}}
Rubber pollution, similar to plastic pollution, occurs in various environments, and originates from a variety of sources, ranging from the food industry processing chain to tire wear.{{cite web | last=Leeuw | first=Sarah de | title=Prevent Rubber Contamination in Food Processing Environments | website=Process Industry Informer | date=2017-06-23 | url=https://www.processindustryinformer.com/prevent-rubber-contamination-food-processing-environments/ | access-date=2019-07-23|quote=[2016] there was a significant increase in the number of recorded recalls of food products contaminated with rubber, a 22% surge compared to 2015. (Source: US market, Food Safety Magazine)}}{{cite web | title=Road Rubber - Science Updates | website=Science NetLinks | date=2011-10-06 | url=http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/road-rubber/ | access-date=2019-07-23|quote=All that rubber that gets worn off your tires has to go somewhere. And according to her research, a lot of it winds up in lakes, streams, and rivers.}} Synthetic and natural rubber dust and fragments now occur in food, airborne as particulates in air pollution, hidden in the earth as soil pollution, and in waterways, lakes and the sea.{{Cite journal|last1=Tamis|first1=Jacqueline E.|last2=Koelmans|first2=Albert A.|last3=Dröge|first3=Rianne|last4=Kaag|first4=Nicolaas H. B. M.|last5=Keur|first5=Marinus C.|last6=Tromp|first6=Peter C.|last7=Jongbloed|first7=Ruud H.|date=2021-07-02|title=Environmental risks of car tire microplastic particles and other road runoff pollutants|journal=Microplastics and Nanoplastics|volume=1|issue=1|pages=10|doi=10.1186/s43591-021-00008-w|s2cid=237303583 |issn=2662-4966|doi-access=free}}
Causes
{{See also|Non-exhaust emissions}}
= Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) =
Vehicle tire wear is a major source of rubber pollution,{{cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137823 | title=Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) - A review of generation, properties, emissions, human health risk, ecotoxicity, and fate in the environment | year=2020 | last1=Baensch-Baltruschat | first1=Beate | last2=Kocher | first2=Birgit | last3=Stock | first3=Friederike | last4=Reifferscheid | first4=Georg | journal=Science of the Total Environment | volume=733 | page=137823 | pmid=32422457 | bibcode=2020ScTEn.73337823B | s2cid=216385897 | doi-access=free }}{{cite news |title=Pollution warning over car tyre and brake dust |website=BBC News |date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718145601/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48944561 |archive-date=2023-07-18 |url-status=live |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48944561}}[https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/03/20200308-emissionsanalytics.html Emissions Analytics finds pollution from tire wear can be 1,000x worse than exhaust emissions] other sources can be from artificial turf{{cite web |date=1970-01-01 |title=Artificial turf may have health drawbacks |url=https://www.kpcnews.com/opinions/article_d1702ddd-8fe6-59a8-8248-854497bb8657.html |access-date=2019-07-23 |website=KPCNews}}(usually made from shredded old tires){{Cite journal |last1=Redondo-Hasselerharm |first1=Paula E. |last2=de Ruijter |first2=Vera N. |last3=Mintenig |first3=Svenja M. |last4=Verschoor |first4=Anja |last5=Koelmans |first5=Albert A. |date=2018-12-04 |title=Ingestion and Chronic Effects of Car Tire Tread Particles on Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrates |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |volume=52 |issue=23 |pages=13986–13994 |doi=10.1021/acs.est.8b05035 |issn=0013-936X |pmc=6284208 |pmid=30407008|bibcode=2018EnST...5213986R }} and rubber O-rings and seals. Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) or tire wear particles (TWP) are a direct result of the road surface abrasion during vehicle transit and are thought to be released into the environment at a rate of 6 million tons year,{{Cite journal |last1=Carrasco-Navarro |first1=Victor |last2=Nuutinen |first2=Aino |last3=Sorvari |first3=Jouni |last4=Kukkonen |first4=Jussi V. K. |date=2022-02-01 |title=Toxicity of Tire Rubber Microplastics to Freshwater Sediment Organisms |journal=Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology |language=en |volume=82 |issue=2 |pages=180–190 |doi=10.1007/s00244-021-00905-4 |issn=1432-0703 |pmc=8818004 |pmid=34928416|bibcode=2022ArECT..82..180C }} with the United States and the European Union emitting roughly 1120,000 and 1327,000 tons annually.{{Cite journal |last1=Roubeau Dumont |first1=E. |last2=Gao |first2=X. |last3=Zheng |first3=J. |last4=Macairan |first4=J. |last5=Hernandez |first5=L. M. |last6=Baesu |first6=A. |last7=Bayen |first7=S. |last8=Robinson |first8=S. A. |last9=Ghoshal |first9=S. |last10=Tufenkji |first10=N. |date=2023-07-05 |title=Unraveling the toxicity of tire wear contamination in three freshwater species: From chemical mixture to nanoparticles |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389423006854 |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials |volume=453 |pages=131402 |doi=10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131402 |pmid=37062096 |bibcode=2023JHzM..45331402R |issn=0304-3894}} Both brand and season application affect the tire composition but rubber is usually the main component besides several additives such as, oils, fillers, vulcanisation chemicals and other chemicals added to increase performance. A concern is that, unlike exhaust emissions, tire wear pollution is not regulated, despite several studies documenting their potential toxicity. Some devices are nonetheless being developed in an effort to reduce the amount of particulates expelled from tire wear and otherwise ending up in the environment.[https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/09/20/student-s-invention-to-stop-microplastic-pollution-wins-dyson-award STUDENT'S INVENTION TO STOP MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION WINS DYSON AWARD][https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2020/project/the-tyre-collective/ The Tyre Collective at Dyson][https://www.thetyrecollective.com/ The Tyre Collective website] Although not immediately visible to the naked eye, tire dust makes up a significant portion of road debris.{{cite web |author=Theodoros Grigoratos and Giorgio Martini |year=2014 |title=Non-exhaust traffic related emissions. Brake and tyre wear PM |url=https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC89231/jrc89231-online%20final%20version%202.pdf |publisher=European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute of Energy and Transport |quote=It is estimated that an average passenger vehicle tyre lasts for 40,000-50,000 km before it is worn out, with approximately 10-30% of its tread rubber emitted into the environment. ... A wide range of chemicals can be found in vehicle tyres, depending on required performance standards and the manufacturing company. It has been reported that a common-sized all season passenger commercial tyre contains approximately 30 kinds of synthetic rubber, 8 kinds of natural rubber, 8 kinds of carbon black, steel cord for belts, polyester and nylon fibre, steel bead wire and 40 different chemicals, waxes, oils, pigments, silica and clays.}}{{cite journal |last1=Kole |first1=Pieter Jan |last2=Löhr |first2=Ansje J. |last3=Van Belleghem |first3=Frank |last4=Ragas |first4=Ad |date=2017-10-20 |title=Wear and Tear of Tyres: A Stealthy Source of Microplastics in the Environment |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |publisher=MDPI AG |volume=14 |issue=10 |page=1265 |doi=10.3390/ijerph14101265 |issn=1660-4601 |pmc=5664766 |pmid=29053641 |quote=Wear and tear from tyres significantly contributes to the flow of (micro-)plastics into the environment. ... The estimated per capita emission ranges from 0.23 to 4.7 kg/year, with a global average of 0.81 kg/year. |doi-access=free}}
It is believed that between 10 and 18 percent of the TWP released each year enter aquatic environments and can even be found in remote locations due to atmospheric transportation. However, it has been found that sediments are sinks for TWP and that the surface water concentration of these particles is much lower. Understanding the effect of these particles is challenging as the chemical leaching rate from TWP depends on environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and salinity, as well as the particle size and composition of TWP.
Classification
Very fine rubber dust particles can, depending on the classification be counted as microplastic (because rubber is just another polymer) or separately, as fine rubber because its constituent monomers, the required additives, and the type of chemical bond mesh is slightly different. In a similar vein, rubber pollution is often implicitly mentioned when plastic pollution is addressed.{{Cite journal |last1=Baensch-Baltruschat |first1=Beate |last2=Kocher |first2=Birgit |last3=Stock |first3=Friederike |last4=Reifferscheid |first4=Georg |date=2020-09-01 |title=Tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) - A review of generation, properties, emissions, human health risk, ecotoxicity, and fate in the environment |journal=Science of the Total Environment |volume=733 |pages=137823 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137823 |issn=0048-9697|doi-access=free |pmid=32422457 |bibcode=2020ScTEn.73337823B }}
6PPD-quinone, an antiozonant used in rubber tires, has been found to kill salmon when it accumulates into waterways from tire wear pollution.{{Cite news|title=Tire dust killing coho salmon returning to Puget Sound, new research shows|work=The Seattle Times|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/tire-dust-is-killing-salmon/}}