EPA to Review Tire Chemical 6PPD Hazardous to Salmon, Following Plea from West Coast Tribes

EPA's decision to review 60-year-old tire preservative 6PPD kicks off a potentially long regulatory process, as manufacturers race to identify alternatives that meet federal safety standards amidst concerns about the chemical's lethal impact on aquatic wildlife.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to review the use of the chemical 6PPD used as a rubber preservative in tires, following petitions from West Coast Native American tribes who assert the chemical kills salmon, particularly coho salmon, as they return to spawn. The chemical enters waterways when rain washes it off roadways.
Tire manufacturers are already on the search for an alternative to 6PPD that still satisfies federal safety mandates. However, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association noted that no viable alternatives have yet been discovered and any hasty ban on 6PPD could potentially pose a risk to public safety and the national economy.
The chemical 6PPD has been in use for six decades and is found not only in tires but also in footwear, synthetic turf, and playground equipment. As tires wear out, small particles of rubber infused with 6PPD are left on roads and parking lots which, in the presence of rain, transfer the chemical to rivers.
Coho salmon are particularly sensitive to 6PPD-quinone, the byproduct of 6PPD, causing their death within hours. Salmon hold a significant position in the diet and culture of Pacific Northwest and California tribes and have been protected against threats such as climate change, pollution, development, and blockades to their spawning grounds by these tribes for several decades.
By next fall, the EPA plans to begin gathering more information to help formulate potential regulations. The agency also intends to ask manufacturers and importers of 6PPD to reveal unpublished health and safety studies by the end of next year. However, there is no specified deadline for a final decision. Another point of focus in the review is the combined effect of different chemicals that fish are exposed to simultaneously, though the impact of 6PPD on human health remains uncertain.