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Ingestion and Chronic Effects of Car Tire Tread Particles on Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrates
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Four freshwater benthic invertebrate species were exposed to car tire tread particles (10–586 μm) for 28 days at concentrations up to 10% sediment dry weight, finding no adverse effects on survival, growth, or feeding rates in any species, while a quantification method confirmed tread particle ingestion in amphipods. The study suggests that tire tread particles at tested concentrations cause minimal harm to freshwater benthic organisms despite being ingested.
Micronized particles released from car tires have been found to contribute substantially to microplastic pollution, triggering the need to evaluate their effects on biota. In the present study, four freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates were exposed for 28 days to tread particles (TP; 10-586 μm) made from used car tires at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, and 10% sediment dry weight. No adverse effects were found on the survival, growth, and feeding rate of Gammarus pulex and Asellus aquaticus, the survival and growth of Tubifex spp., and the number of worms and growth of Lumbriculus variegatus. A method to quantify TP numbers inside biota was developed and here applied to G. pulex. In bodies and faces of G. pulex exposed to 10% car tire TP, averages of 2.5 and 4 tread particles per organism were found, respectively. Chemical analysis showed that, although car tire TP had a high intrinsic zinc content, only small fractions of the heavy metals present were bioavailable. PAHs in the TP-sediment mixtures also remained below existing toxicity thresholds. This combination of results suggests that real in situ effects of TP and TP-associated contaminants when dispersed in sediments are probably lower than those reported after forced leaching of contaminants from car tire particles.
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Researchers exposed estuarine organisms to environmentally relevant concentrations of tire particles and measured toxicity endpoints including survival, reproduction, and behavior. Tire particles caused significant adverse effects at concentrations already found in some urban estuaries, suggesting current environmental levels pose ecological risks.
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Researchers examined the toxicity of tire rubber microplastics to freshwater sediment organisms Lumbriculus variegatus and Chironomus riparius at environmentally relevant concentrations, finding that effects varied depending on sediment type and species sensitivity.
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This review examines tire wear particles, a major but often overlooked source of microplastics in water environments. Tire particles release toxic chemicals as they break down in water and can harm aquatic organisms, but most research has focused only on the chemical leachate rather than the particles themselves. Since tire wear contributes a large share of total microplastic pollution, understanding its full impact on water ecosystems and the food chain is important for human health.
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