As you drive your car down the highway, your tires are slowly being worn down. Where does the rubber go?
The road abrades particles of rubber off tires. Large particles fall to the road and rain washes those particles off the road and eventually into streams and lakes. Small particles become airborne. In Los Angeles, the 13th most common air pollutant is tire dust. A 1980s pollution study of the Los Angeles basin concluded that 5 tons of breathable tire dust were released into the air every day. The total amount of tire dust released into the environment in the U.S. every year is estimated to be 650,000 tons.
If you live in a large city, you’re breathing tire dust. If you live in a small town, you’re still breathing tire dust, just less of it. Some tire dust gets stuck in your lungs, but the smallest particles can enter your bloodstream. Tires are made of natural and synthetic rubber. About 40% of the rubber is natural – made from latex. What does this do in the human body?
Latex allergies are increasing, possibly due to exposure to tire dust. People who have a latex allergy can usually avoid contact with latex, unless they’re breathing the substance.
Tire dust also contains hazardous metals like copper, zinc, nickel, chromium, and cadmium. These substances can leach into water and are toxic to small life forms that live in lakes and streams.
But until the day that we’re all driving hovercraft, what choice do we have?
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