Tire Manufacturers Targeted For Decreases In Ocean Fish Population

Major tire manufacturers are trying to have a lawsuit filed against them over environmental pollution dismissed. The suit concerns a chemical used in tire production, which has been found to rapidly kill fish commonly harvested for food, such as salmon. In essence, the tire makers' argument boils down to them not being liable because it can take years for the chemical to be released into fish habitats.

 

The suit was filed in a federal court in San Francisco, California by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and nonprofit Institute for Fisheries Resources according to Reuters. It targets Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, and 10 other companies that together claim 80 percent market share for tires in the United States.

These companies, as well as other tire manufacturers around the world, use a compound called 6PPD in tire production to slow rubber degradation. But tires still wear down, and an increasing body of evidence shows the overwhelming majority of ocean microplastics are from tires. What happens to those particles (which also can cause smog) once they reach the ocean—or even waters upstream of it—is the major concern.