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Data from: Tire wear particles impacting a roadside wild plant species
Summary
Tiny particles worn off car tires as they drive are already known to harm water life, but this study shows they also stunt the growth of roadside plants and cause stress damage in their roots. Since these plants line our streets and parks, this research raises early questions about how tire pollution might affect the green spaces we walk through every day—though more research is needed to know what this means for human health directly.
Road traffic is a fundamental component of modern human society. Recently, tire wear particles (TWPs), generated by road traffic through friction between vehicle tires and road surfaces, have been increasingly recognized as toxic to a wide range of organisms. While previous studies have examined impacts on aquatic ecosystems or edible plants (i.e., crops and vegetables), the effects of TWPs on urban green spaces, such as parks and roadside vegetation belts located close to TWP sources, have remained largely unexplored. We conducted a TWPs exposure experiment using Bromus catharticus, a common roadside weed species in Japan. Our results demonstrated TWPs significantly inhibited both shoot and root growth. In addition, TWPs significantly elevated oxidative stress, assessed by malondialdehyde (MDA) content, in roots. These are pioneering findings on the impacts of TWP contamination in urban green ecosystems.