Our previous work has shown that road debris is a major source of microplastics in the environment. In recent years, we have been working with partners across research and industry to determine how those particles distribute and their potential to cause harm. This new study is of key importance because it demonstrates the potential for harmful effects on an aquatic invertebrate species, at concentrations similar to those we have recorded near to roads in the UK. It is clearly an area we need to explore further.
Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit
Tyres exert a complex toxic pressure to wildlife because they release plenty of toxic chemicals as well as tiny particles that can be ingested, so both chemical and physical effects are occurring.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter, and lead author of the study
- The full study – Boisseaux et al: Deep dive into the chronic toxicity of tyre particle mixtures and their leachates – is published in Journal of Hazardous Materials, DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133580.
Read about more research linked to this study
The underestimated microplastic
330 billion road miles are driven in the UK every year, generating particles of synthetic rubber as a consequence of friction between the tyre and the road surface. It has been estimated that tyre wear could account for 65% (18,000 tonnes annually) of all microplastics released to UK surface waters, however their fate and impact remains largely unknown. Tyre particles are not currently well documented in environmental data potentially due to the difficulty in identifying them from other plastics in environmental samples.
The number of road vehicles is set to double by 2050 leading to increased particle emissions; however, there are interventions that could reduce the rate of tyre particle generation.
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