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Biological effects of Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) assessed by in vitro and in vivo studies – A systematic review
Summary
Every time cars brake and tires roll on pavement, tiny particles wear off and become part of the dust we breathe, and unlike exhaust fumes, this pollution source isn't well studied or regulated. This review of existing research found that in lab and animal studies, these tire and road particles tend to trigger inflammation and cell-damaging oxidative stress, though scientists still don't have enough data to fully understand the risks to human health. As car exhaust gets cleaner, this "invisible" source of air pollution from everyday driving may deserve more attention and research.
Air quality is a critical issue because even small amounts of air pollutants can cause significant adverse health effects. Road traffic is a major contributor to air pollution both through aerosols from exhaust emissions (EE) and non-exhaust emissions (NEE). The latter result from mechanical abrasion of brakes and tires, erosion of road surfaces and resuspension of road dust into the atmosphere by passing traffic. EE have been extensively characterized and have declined over time due to mitigation measures. By contrast, NEE have been less studied, are not tightly regulated and there are limited data on their toxicity. Thus, NEE relative part has become prevalent, potentially making of these emissions a major human health concern. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on the biological effects of NEE. We paid particular attention to the toxicological effects of Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) induced in vitro and in vivo in mammalian models. To this end, we performed a bibliographic search in two databases (PubMed and Web of Science). Of the 400 papers, 22 were found to be relevant and included in our analysis, confirming that the assessment of the TRWP toxicity in mammalian models is still limited. This review also reports that oxidative stress and inflammation are the main mechanisms underlying the toxicity of TRWP.