US Tyre Companies Face Off Over Toxic Chemical That Kills Salmon
A peculiar case has landed before the courts, pitting US tyre companies against west coast fishers and conservationists in a bid to curb the devastating impact of a toxic chemical on salmon populations. The main suspect is 6PPD-quinone, an oxidation product from 6PPD, a chemical added to tyres to prevent degradation.
According to the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), 24 fish species are under threat due to their exposure to this chemical. Scientists have discovered that when 6PPD leaches into rivers and creeks, it can be deadly to salmon.
The case revolves around a phenomenon known as "urban runoff mortality syndrome," in which salmon return to streams after heavy rain to spawn only to meet an untimely demise. Researchers at Washington State University have pinpointed the toxic chemical as the culprit behind this bizarre occurrence.
The tyre companies are adamant that 6PPD is vital for tyre safety, claiming that there's no viable alternative. However, experts argue that the chemical can be highly destructive when it reaches waterways, with a single car capable of unleashing enough toxicity to kill over 11 million salmon.
In a surprising twist, scientists have revealed that a mere one car could do tremendous damage, with four tyres containing just enough of the toxic substance to cause the kind of devastation witnessed in these streams. The court heard how one particularly distressing video captured a struggling salmon, which ultimately succumbed to its fate after interacting with 6PPD-q.
While some scientists have questioned the findings, citing limitations and speculation, others argue that the data is compelling enough to warrant further investigation. This case could potentially set a precedent for addressing environmental concerns beyond the United States, as it delves into the often-overlooked world of tyre pollution.
A peculiar case has landed before the courts, pitting US tyre companies against west coast fishers and conservationists in a bid to curb the devastating impact of a toxic chemical on salmon populations. The main suspect is 6PPD-quinone, an oxidation product from 6PPD, a chemical added to tyres to prevent degradation.
According to the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), 24 fish species are under threat due to their exposure to this chemical. Scientists have discovered that when 6PPD leaches into rivers and creeks, it can be deadly to salmon.
The case revolves around a phenomenon known as "urban runoff mortality syndrome," in which salmon return to streams after heavy rain to spawn only to meet an untimely demise. Researchers at Washington State University have pinpointed the toxic chemical as the culprit behind this bizarre occurrence.
The tyre companies are adamant that 6PPD is vital for tyre safety, claiming that there's no viable alternative. However, experts argue that the chemical can be highly destructive when it reaches waterways, with a single car capable of unleashing enough toxicity to kill over 11 million salmon.
In a surprising twist, scientists have revealed that a mere one car could do tremendous damage, with four tyres containing just enough of the toxic substance to cause the kind of devastation witnessed in these streams. The court heard how one particularly distressing video captured a struggling salmon, which ultimately succumbed to its fate after interacting with 6PPD-q.
While some scientists have questioned the findings, citing limitations and speculation, others argue that the data is compelling enough to warrant further investigation. This case could potentially set a precedent for addressing environmental concerns beyond the United States, as it delves into the often-overlooked world of tyre pollution.
i mean i know we need to protect our salmon populations but this is just insane what if all those cars on the road were parked at once? it would be like a toxic bomb just waiting to happen 
i think its time for us to rethink our priorities and consider greener alternatives for tyres 
I'm not sure how this is even happening. Like, we're literally talking about tyres here, but apparently they can kill salmon? 
this is crazy... can't believe we're even having to deal with this in 2025. so the tyres are basically killing salmon and no one's doing anything about it? like, what's next? cars that kill birds or something? 
anyway, i think the tyre companies are being super shady by saying there's no alternative to 6PPD. like, isn't that just a cop-out? shouldn't they be more concerned about not harming the environment? 
and yeah, four tyres containing toxic stuff can kill millions of salmon? that's wild! we need to get to the bottom of this ASAP 
The fact that a single car can kill over 11 million salmon is just mind-blowing... 11 MILLION 
And the fact that scientists have found an alternative to 6PPD, which is basically just a fancy word for ' tyre magic', is so cool! 
I hope this case makes some waves (pun intended) and gets the US government to take action on this issue. We need to start thinking about the impact our daily habits are having on the environment. 
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and yeah i get it tyre companies wanna make money but at what cost to our planet 
. Can you imagine that one car could single-handedly wipe out over 11 million fish? It's wild 
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. I'm not saying there's no value in 6PPD, but we need to take a step back and think about what's really at stake here - our planet's ecosystem is not just some lab rat for scientists to test on 
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OMG y'all this 6PPD chemical is literally killing our salmon fam!!! I mean I knew tyres were bad but who knew they could be so toxic?! 
. We need more research on this stuff and we need it now! 
seriously though, 11 million salmon dead from one car? that's wild 
and yeah, i think this case has the potential to be a big deal for more than just the US, we need to start thinking about how our daily lives are affecting the environment