Thread by @DavidZipper

For the first time, the EPA is investigating the environmental harm caused by tires.

The federal government is finally acknowledging that tailpipe emissions are just one of the ways that cars befoul the planet.

Me in @Slate. 🧵 below

slate.com/technology/202…

The chemical in question, 6PPD, makes tires more durable. It turns into 6PPD-quinone when exposed to air.

In 2020 @UW researchers published a bombshell study blaming 6PPD-quinone for the collapse of coho salmon in the Puget Sound.

washington.edu/news/2020/12/0…

@UW Scientists have shown that 6PPD-quinone is so toxic that it kills many kinds of fish, including trout and char, even in minuscule freshwater concentrations.

It may harm other creatures too – including humans. We’re still learning.

@UW This summer, three Native American tribes that harvest salmon asked the EPA to declare 6PPD a toxic chemical and ban it. Several state attorneys general agreed.

Last week the EPA granted the petition, beginning a formal review.

epa.gov/system/files/d…

@UW The EPA’s move is a big deal, apparently its first investigation into car pollution that doesn’t come from tailpipes.

Emissions form tires, brakes, and road dust may not worsen climate change, but they jeopardize ecosystems and human health.

penntoday.upenn.edu/news/analyzing…

In fact, EVs – which have no tailpipe emissions at all – could worsen tire pollution if they're heavier and more powerful than gas models, as seems likely.

I recently wrote about that risk in @TheAtlantic.

theatlantic.com/technology/arc…

@TheAtlantic Bottom line: It’s good news that the feds are investigating a very toxic tire chemical.

But given the myriad environmental harms attributable to cars – many of which are still little understood – there is a better option: Encourage other ways to travel.

slate.com/technology/202…