The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will start the process to limit and perhaps remove a chemical that is commonly found in tires for cars, following research that found the chemical — also called 6PPD is harmful to salmon.
The EPA has announced its plans for regulatory reform on Thursday responding to an appeal from three Native Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. State governments of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut were also in support of the petition.
It could take several some time for the EPA’s rulesmaking process to be in effect The first step is to require tire companies to publish their unpublished safety and health research, but it’s not anticipated until the year 2024.
The University of Washington study, sponsored through the EPA and released in late December 2020 conclusively connected 6PPD to massive die-offs in coho fish in the urban waterways of Seattle.
Follow-up studies conducted by The National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Geological Survey as well as other agencies have confirmed the findings repeatedly.
The chemical 6PPD is employed by the major tire makers to prevent cracking and degradation. Tires release small amounts of rubber onto the road with each turn, and these deposits are made up of 6PPD. It is then washes away into nearby waterways by rain and snow.
The testing is limited in Alaska which is home to one of the largest salmon runs in America however, preliminary tests from Anchorage from 2021 identified levels of 6PPD that were deadly to coho salmon..
