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Aging increases the particulate- and leachate-induced toxicity of tire wear particles to microalgae.
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Researchers found that environmental aging of tire wear particles increases their toxicity to marine microalgae beyond that of fresh particles, with aged particles triggering greater oxidative stress, photosynthesis disruption, and metabolic changes in the algae.
The toxic effects of tire wear particles (TWPs) on organisms have attracted widespread concerns over the past decade. However, the underlying toxicity mechanism of TWPs, especially aged TWPs to marine microalgae remains poorly understood. This study investigated the physiological and metabolic responses of Phaeodactylum tricornutum to different concentrations of TWPs (Experiment 1), virgin and differently aged TWPs (Experiment 2) as well as their leachates and leached particles (Experiment 3). Results demonstrated that TWPs promoted the growth of microalgae at low concentrations (0.6 and 3 mg L) and inhibited their growth at high concentrations (15 and 75 mg L). Moreover, aged TWPs induced more profound physiological effects on microalgae than virgin TWPs, including inhibiting microalgae growth, decreasing the content of Chla, promoting photosynthetic efficiency, and causing oxidative damage to algal cells. Untargeted metabolomics analysis confirmed that aged TWPs induced more pronounced metabolic changes than virgin TWPs. This study represented the first to demonstrate that both particulate- and leachate-induced toxicity of TWPs was increased after aging processes, which was confirmed by the changes in the surface morphology of TWPs and enhanced release of additives. Through the significant correlations between the additives and the microalgal metabolites, key additives responsible for the shift of microalgal metabolites were identified. These results broaden the understanding of the toxicity mechanism of aged TWPs to microalgae at the physiological and metabolic levels and appeal for considering the effects of long-term aging on TWP toxicity in risk assessment of TWPs.
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Unveiling the toxic mechanism of nanoscale tire wear particles to algae: The interplay of particle size, photoaging, and co-existing PFOS.
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Researchers compared nanosized and microsized tire wear particles for algal toxicity, finding that nanosized TWPs caused 23.4% greater growth inhibition at environmentally relevant concentrations due to stronger heteroaggregation with algal cells and greater additive release, while photoaging amplified toxicity in both size classes and co-occurring PFOS played a size- and aging-dependent dual role—reducing nanosized TWP toxicity but exacerbating it after photoaging.
Deciphering the aging-driven transformation of tire wear particles: Reshaping adsorption, leaching dynamics, and biointerfacial impacts
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Researchers reviewed how environmental aging — via photooxidation, mechanical abrasion, and biodegradation — transforms tire wear particles by increasing surface area and polarity, promoting additive leaching and the formation of reactive free radicals, collectively amplifying ecological toxicity beyond what fresh particles alone would cause.
Toxicity of tire wear particles and the leachates to microorganisms in marine sediments
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Researchers investigated the toxicity of tire wear particles and their chemical leachates on bacteria in marine sediments. The study found that aged tire wear particles were more toxic than pristine ones, and that leachates were even more harmful than the particles themselves, with zinc identified as the primary toxicity-causing substance.
Weathering of a micro and nanosized tire particle mixture increases ingestion and growth inhibition in larval fish and juvenile mysid shrimp
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Researchers investigated how environmental weathering changes the toxicity of tire particle mixtures to larval fish and juvenile mysid shrimp. The study found that weathered tire particles were more readily ingested and caused greater growth inhibition compared to pristine particles, suggesting that aging in the environment makes tire-derived microplastics more harmful to marine organisms.
In Vitro Assessment Reveals the Effects of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals on the Toxicity of Photoaged Tire Wear Particles
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Researchers examined how tire wear particles change when exposed to sunlight and found that the aging process generates environmentally persistent free radicals on their surfaces. These radicals significantly increased the toxicity of the particles in laboratory cell tests, causing oxidative stress and DNA damage. The study suggests that weathered tire particles may be more harmful than freshly released ones, adding a new dimension to microplastic pollution concerns.
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