Tire dust killing salmon; state must bar chemical's use

By Andrew M. Kenefick / For The Herald

Fall rains send stormwater — and everything in that stormwater — off our roads into nearby creeks and streams — just as coho salmon head upstream.

Many — often more than 90 percent — will die before they can spawn. In the spring, rainstorms will flush toxins off roadways into creeks where juvenile salmon are emerging and rearing. They, too, will die at alarming rates; recently estimated at 80 percent on Miller Creek in Normandy Park, west of SeaTac. This cycle has repeated for decades. Yet only recently have we known the cause: stormwater contaminated with the compound 6PPD-Q.

Since the 1960s, the chemical 6PPD has been used in nearly every vehicle tire sold in the United States to prevent cracking and degradation of the tires. Once in the environment, however, 6PPD transforms into a pollutant called 6PPD-Q, so toxic that just a few ounces can decimate juvenile and adult coho salmon. Every time we drive, tiny bits of tire wear off and wash 6PPD-Q into streams.

Washington researchers have led ongoing efforts to understand the impact of 6PPD-Q on our native fish, and we should also be the first state to lead the solution. A ban on the sale of tires containing 6PPD would protect our salmon and other aquatic species from this lethal roadway toxin. And this is not just a Pacific Northwest or coho issue. Worldwide research continues to identify other aquatic species at risk from 6PPD-Q contamination, including coastal cutthroat trout (native to Washington), rainbow trout, Eastern brook trout, and lake trout, species valued throughout the nation. The science is clear, the damage ongoing, and the answer long overdue: banning 6PPD in tires will accelerate progress toward a solution.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-tire-dust-killing-salmon-state-must-bar-chemicals-use/