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Behavior-DrivenEmissions and Risk Prioritizationof Tire Additives and Their Transformation Products in Driving TrainingFields: Implications for Nonexhaust Traffic Pollution Management
Summary
Every time tires grind against pavement, they release chemical additives and their breakdown products into dust, and this study found that aggressive driving moves like sharp turns create far more of these chemicals than straight, steady driving. Researchers identified over 100 of these compounds at driving schools, including some never previously detected, and flagged 22 as high or medium health-risk priorities based on how persistent, toxic, and likely to build up in the body they are. The takeaway: how we drive doesn't just affect fuel use and tire wear—it directly influences how much potentially harmful tire-chemical pollution ends up in the air and dust around us.
With the increasing release of tire wear particles, environmental exposure to tire additives and their transformation products (TATPs) has grown substantially; however, their risks remain poorly characterized and potentially underestimated. Dust samples from six driving training modules across 20 driving schools in Qingdao, China, were analyzed to investigate TATPs and their behavioral drivers. A total of 124 TATPs (median: 1.31 × 104 ng/g) were detected, including 12 newly reported compounds. Antioxidants (median: 7.03 × 103 ng/g) dominated, followed by plasticizers (median: 4.14 × 103 ng/g) and vulcanization accelerators (median: 1.27 × 103 ng/g). TATP concentrations varied significantly across training modules, with quarter turning modules showing the highest levels (median: 3.47 × 104 ng/g) and straight driving modules the lowest (median: 4.69 × 103 ng/g). Random forest and nonlinear models identified training module type as the key driver, with TATP enrichment increasing with driving intensity. These modules serve as proxies for urban traffic behavior, capturing fundamental tire–road interaction regimes. Integrating persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and exposure, two high-priority and 20 medium-priority pollutants were identified. Overall, these results underscore the critical role of driving behavior in regulating TATP emissions and provide a basis for prioritizing high-risk pollutants in nonexhaust traffic pollution management.