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Stress of soil moisture and temperature exacerbates the toxicity of tire wear particles to soil fauna: Tracking the role of additives through host microbiota.
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This study examined how soil moisture and temperature stresses modify the toxicity of tire wear particles to soil invertebrates (Enchytraeus crypticus), finding that drought and high temperature conditions significantly increased toxicity. The results suggest that climate change may amplify the ecotoxicological risks of tire particle contamination in soils.
Tire wear particles (TWPs) are considered as an emerging threat to soil fauna. However, how TWP toxicity to soil fauna responds to the stress of soil moisture and temperature remains unclear. We assessed the toxicity of environmentally relevant TWPs to the soil model species Enchytraeus crypticus under three soil moisture and two temperature gradients. Typical thermoplastic polypropylene (PP) was selected for comparison. Results showed that compared with PP, TWPs exerted stronger toxicity, including decreasing the worm growth, survival and reproduction rates, disturbing the soil and worm gut microbiota, and leaching more diverse and higher contents of additives. Stress of soil moisture and temperature exacerbated TWP toxicity mainly through affecting the leaching and transformation of additives. Fourteen mediated additives significantly contributed to the shift of the gut microbiota under soil moisture and temperature stress, among which 1,3-diphenylguanidine, N,N'-bis(methylphenyl)-1,4-benzenediamine quinone, N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide, and 2-aminobenzothiazole were identified as the main drivers. In addition, this study provided the first clear evidence that increased soil moisture and temperature promoted the transformation of additives in the soil. Our study revealed the non-negligible aggravated toxicity of TWPs to soil fauna under stress of soil moisture and temperature, providing novel insights into the environmental behavior of additives.
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Tire wear particles—a major source of microplastics—were found to become increasingly toxic to soil nematodes over time as chemical additives leach out. The time-dependent toxicity means that older, weathered tire particles in soil may pose greater ecological risks than freshly deposited ones.
Soil Storage Conditions Alter the Effects of Tire Wear Particles on Microbial Activities in Laboratory Tests
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Researchers found that soil storage conditions in the laboratory — including room temperature, low temperature, air drying, and heat drying — significantly alter microbial activity and therefore affect the measured toxicity of tire wear particles on soil microbiomes.
Tire wear particles: An emerging threat to soil health
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This review synthesizes knowledge about tire wear particles — a major but often overlooked source of microplastic-like pollutants — in soil ecosystems. Tire wear particles contain toxic metals and organic compounds that harm soil microbes, invertebrates, and plants, but most research to date has focused on aquatic systems rather than soils.
The Influence of Microplastics from Ground Tyres on the Acute, Subchronical Toxicity and Microbial Respiration of Soil
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Researchers assessed the toxicity of ground tire microplastics on soil organisms and microbial respiration, finding subchronic phytotoxicity effects that highlight the environmental risks posed by tire wear particles accumulating in soils.
Tire wear particles: An emerging threat to soil health
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This review examines tire wear particles as an emerging source of soil contamination, finding that these microplastics contain a complex mixture of rubber, metals, and organic chemicals that can harm soil organisms. Researchers highlight that most current studies focus on individual species, which may underestimate the cascading effects on entire soil ecosystems. The study warns that tire wear particles could alter essential soil processes and ecosystem services, representing a significant but underappreciated threat to soil health.
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