Substance derived from tire debris is toxic to two trout species, not
just coho salmon

Date:
March 2, 2022
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Every time it rains, fish living downstream of storm drains
are exposed to pollutants, including the tire-derived compound
6PPD-quinone, in the runoff. Recently, this substance has been
linked to massive die-offs of coho salmon across the U.S. West
Coast. Now, researchers report that exposure to 6PPD-quinone at
environmentally relevant levels can also be deadly for rainbow
and brook trout, though not for Arctic char or white sturgeon.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Every time it rains, fish living downstream of storm drains are exposed
to pollutants, including the tire-derived compound 6PPD-quinone, in
the runoff.

Recently, this substance has been linked to massive die-offs of coho
salmon across the U.S. West Coast. Now, researchers in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology Letters report that exposure to 6PPD-quinone at environmentally relevant levels can also be deadly for rainbow and brook
trout, though not for Arctic char or white sturgeon.


========================================================================== Rubber tires are fortified with protectants, such as
N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'- phenyl-p-phenylenediamine or simply 6PPD,
so they can be safely driven for a long time. However, as the treads
wear down and pieces flake off over time, small rubber particles scatter
across roads. There, they react with oxidants such as ozone in the air, converting 6PPD to 6PPD-quinone, which washes into waterways along with
the source tire particles in stormwater runoff. Previous studies reported
that exposure to small amounts of 6PPD-quinone is toxic to coho salmon --
a popular fish among recreational fishers and an environmentally important species -- and likely caused the phenomenon in urban streams called
urban runoff mortality syndrome. Conversely, another study indicated
that zebrafish and Japanese medaka can withstand even very high amounts
of 6PPD- quinone. So, Markus Brinkmann, Markus Hecker, Steve Wiseman
and colleagues wanted to see whether this contaminant poses a risk to
a broader range of commercially, culturally and ecologically important
fish species.

The researchers exposed juvenile brook trout, rainbow trout, Arctic char
and white sturgeon to varying levels of 6PPD-quinone. They found that
even small concentrations, such as those regularly occurring in surface
waters after stormwater runoff events, were fatal to brook and rainbow
trout. For both trout species, the researchers observed an increased
blood glucose level after 6PPD- quinone exposure, suggesting it affected
the fish's energy metabolism pathways.

However, none of the Arctic char and white sturgeon died after four days
of exposure to a high level of the contaminant that was similar to the
maximum amount previously observed in stormwater runoff. The results
indicate mortality from exposure to 6PPD-quinone varies among fish
species, but for animals that don't die, possible non-lethal effects
could be occurring and need further examination, the team says.

This project was supported partially by a financial contribution
from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The authors acknowledge additional
funding from the Discovery Grants program of the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Western Economic Diversification Canada (WED), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation,
the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program of NSERC, the Canada First
Research Excellence Funds (CFREF) and the Canada Research Chairs Program.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Chemical_Society. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Markus Brinkmann, David Montgomery, Summer Selinger, Justin
G. P. Miller,
Eric Stock, Alper James Alcaraz, Jonathan K. Challis, Lynn Weber,
David Janz, Markus Hecker, Steve Wiseman. Acute Toxicity of the
Tire Rubber- Derived Chemical 6PPD-quinone to Four Fishes of
Commercial, Cultural, and Ecological Importance. Environmental
Science & Technology Letters, 2022; DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00050 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220302092649.htm

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