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Global Road-Network Tire-Wear Particle Emissions - Code and Data Repository
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Every time tires roll on roads, they shed tiny plastic particles that wash into soil, rivers, and ecosystems far beyond cities—and this study maps where that pollution is heaviest worldwide. The findings suggest that switching to electric vehicles alone won't solve the problem, since EVs are often heavier and can produce similar or even more tire-wear particles. While this research focuses on wildlife and ecosystems, it's a reminder that tire dust is a major, often overlooked source of microplastics in our environment—the same particles increasingly found in human blood, lungs, and organs.
Companion code and processed data for: 'Global biodiversity threat from extra-urban tire-wear pollution' (Song et al.). Includes: Monte Carlo emission inventory pipeline (baseline + EV100 scenario), ecological exposure vulnerability (EEV) calculation scripts, and Source_Data.xlsx with all processed outputs underlying manuscript figures and tables. See README.md for execution order, dependencies, and input data sources.
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Global Road-Network Tire-Wear Particle Emissions - Code and Data Repository
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Every time car and truck tires roll down the road, they shed tiny particles of rubber and chemicals that wash into soil, rivers, and wildlife habitats—and this study maps where that pollution is heaviest worldwide, finding rural and wild areas near major roads are surprisingly at risk, not just cities. While this research centers on ecosystems, it's a reminder that these same tire particles are a form of microplastic pollution that can travel through water and air, raising ongoing questions about human exposure too. Notably, switching to electric vehicles alone won't solve the problem, since EVs are heavier and can produce similar or greater
Vehicle tyres - A key source of microplastics to the environment: Fate, effects, and mitigation strategies
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Every time your car tires touch the road, they shed tiny plastic particles that end up in our air, water, and soil, making tires one of the biggest sources of microplastics in the environment. This review pulls together existing research on where this tire dust ends up and how it affects living things, and while more research is still needed on human health risks, it's a reminder that even routine driving contributes to the plastic pollution we're increasingly breathing in and consuming.
Analytical Investigation of Tire Induced Particle Emissions
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This automotive engineering study measured the size distribution of fine dust particles (under 10 micrometers) generated by tire wear, finding that tire-derived particles represent a significant non-exhaust source of urban particulate matter. As electric vehicle adoption reduces exhaust emissions, tire and brake wear particles will become a proportionally larger component of urban air pollution. These tire wear particles are also a major source of microplastic contamination in road runoff.
Vehicle tyres - A key source of microplastics to the environment: Fate, effects, and mitigation strategies
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Every time car tires roll on the road, they shed tiny plastic and rubber particles that wash into our air, soil, and waterways, making tires one of the biggest sources of microplastic pollution around. This review pulls together existing research on where these particles end up, how they may affect wildlife and human health, and what steps (like better tire designs or road filters) could help cut down on this overlooked pollution source.
Tire Wear and Pollutants: An Overview of Research
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This review provides an overview of tire road and wear particles as a major source of microplastic emissions, examining both experimental and mathematical approaches to measuring tire wear. The study notes that while tire wear particles are found in alarming amounts across various environments, they remain less studied than other microplastics, and calls for more accurate simulation models to predict tire wear emissions.
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