For decades, concerns about automobile pollution have focused on what comes out of the tailpipe. Now, researchers and regulators say, we need to pay more attention to toxic emissions from tires as vehicles roll down the road.

“You’ve got a chemical cocktail in these tires that no one really understands and is kept highly confidential by the tire manufacturers,” said Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics. “We struggle to think of another consumer product that is so prevalent in the world and used by virtually everyone, where there is so little known of what is in them.”

  • BoscoBear@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    9·
    6 months ago

    I wish we would use this term instead of microplastics since microplastics are composed of 78% tire dust.

    • Mishmash2000@lemmy.nzEnglish
      5·
      6 months ago

      You’re so right! When something is almost 80% of a thing, it’s more or less that thing now. It’s that thing, plus some other stuff but the focus has to be on the thing that is almost 80% of the issue. If we reduce car tyre derived microplastics by one quarter it would be the equivalent of completely eliminating ALL other sources of microplastics. The issue needs reframing badly!

      • BoscoBear@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        8·
        6 months ago

        I think it is intentional to get the focus off the problem. “It’s not that one industry, it’s all the little things. Give up your plastic straw. Give up your plastic bag. It’s your fault and in your control. We are just over here turning oil into tires for your convenience.”

        • Mishmash2000@lemmy.nzEnglish
          3·
          6 months ago

          It could backfire though because people now understand that microplastic = bad so all we need to say is “You know those pesky microplactics? Yup. Well, basically tyre!”.

      • Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.caEnglish
        1·
        6 months ago

        Well, we call the stuff we breath “air” despite it being 80% nitrogen. It would be a bit weird saying we breath nitrogen. “Air” is a general catch-all term for the mixture of things that we breath.

  • Excrubulent@slrpnk.netEnglish
    4·
    6 months ago

    We have to keep secret all this material that may or may not be toxic but is definitely all around us because otherwise tyre makers might not be able to sell us as many tyres, and that’s really important for some reason.