EcoWatch
Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    Home Pollution

    EPA to Investigate Tire Chemical Linked to West Coast Salmon Deaths

    By: Paige Bennett
    Published: November 6, 2023
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    A coho salmon spawning on the Salmon River in Oregon
    A coho salmon spawning on the Salmon River in Oregon. Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to review the use of, and consider prohibiting, the rubber preservative found in tires known as 6PPD, in response to a petition from the Yurok Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

    The chemical 6PPD is a rubber preservative used in tires as well as other applications, such as playground flooring, shoes and synthetic turf infill. It makes the rubber more durable, the EPA explained. 

    More From EcoWatch
    • What Are the Best Solar Companies in California?
    • Is Solar Worth It in Washington?
    • What Is the Public Utilities Commission?

    However, tires and other objects can shed small particles containing this chemical. When the chemical reacts with ozone pollution, it forms 6PPD-quinone, or 6PPD-q, a chemical that is toxic to aquatic life. A 2021 study found that 6PPD-q in stormwater could be linked to coho salmon deaths over multiple decades.

    According to Earthjustice, which submitted a petition in August to the EPA on behalf of the Yurok Tribe based in California, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, both based in Washington state, 6PPD-q exposure can kill salmon quickly, within just hours.

    “6PPD-q is the second most toxic chemical to aquatic species ever evaluated by EPA,” Earthjustice wrote in the petition. “The only chemical more toxic to aquatic species — the chemical war agent parathion — has been widely banned due to its toxicity and is no longer on the market in the United States.”

    The coho salmon are important not just ecologically but culturally and economically. Additionally, 6PPD-q has been found to be acutely toxic to other aquatic life, including Chinook salmon, rainbow trout and steelhead trout.

    “Many Tribes rely heavily on salmon and other aquatic resources for food and cultural practices. Healthy and accessible salmon populations are critical to the health and wellbeing of Tribes, including the practice and protection of Tribal Treaty Rights,” the EPA wrote on its webpage on 6PPD-q.

    The EPA said it will publish an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking by next fall. The agency needs to collect additional information on 6PPD-q, including how it may impact other aquatic species and humans, as well as potential exposure of the chemical from other sources aside from tires. The agency also noted it will finalize a rule requiring companies that manufacture or import 6PPD to share lists and unpublished health and safety studies with the EPA by the end of next year. Further, the agency is providing grants for additional research and working toward stormwater pollution solutions.

    “This is a victory for salmon and all species and people,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement. “6PPD is a major and uniquely lethal threat to the health of salmon in urban streams on our reservation. Banning this chemical from tires will be hugely important in protecting fish. We thank the EPA for taking our concerns seriously. We will always act to protect the fish, the water and our lands.”

    The EPA noted it doesn’t have a specific timeframe or outcome for the rulemaking process — however, California has already required tiremakers to look for safer alternatives to 6PPD, Yale E360 reported. The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association has also recently put out a statement that it is working with the EPA to study alternatives to the chemical.

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Paige Bennett

      Based in Los Angeles, Paige is a writer who is passionate about sustainability. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University and holds a certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She also specialized in sustainable agriculture while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Higher Levels of PFAS Found in Waterways Downstream From Wastewater Treatment Plants: Report
      Recent research from Waterkeeper Alliance warns that 98% of tested
      By Paige Bennett
      UN Climate Expert Urges Criminalization of Fossil Fuel Disinformation to Protect Basic Human Rights
      United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights Elisa Morgera on
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      EPA Employees Sign ‘Declaration of Dissent’ Over Trump Administration Policies
      A group of more than 170 employees of the United
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • River Seine in Paris Reopens for Public Swimming for the First Time in 100 Years
          by Paige Bennett
          July 7, 2025
        • Facing Climate Anxiety With Visual Comedy: ‘World Without End’ Graphic Artist Christophe Blain
          by Craig Thompson
          July 5, 2025
        • Certain Gut Microbes Found to Absorb Ingested PFAS: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 3, 2025
        • Higher Levels of PFAS Found in Waterways Downstream From Wastewater Treatment Plants: Report
          by Paige Bennett
          July 3, 2025
        • UN Climate Expert Urges Criminalization of Fossil Fuel Disinformation to Protect Basic Human Rights
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 2, 2025
        • EPA Employees Sign ‘Declaration of Dissent’ Over Trump Administration Policies
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 1, 2025
        • Threatened Heath Fritillary Butterflies See Major Population Increase in England
          by Paige Bennett
          July 1, 2025
        • Personal Care Products Like Shampoo Can Harm Aquatic Life: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          July 1, 2025
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 558k
          Twitter 222k
          Instagram 52k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more
          • Privacy Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Cookie Preferences
          • Do Not Sell My Information
          © 2025 EcoWatch. All Rights Reserved.

          Advertiser Disclosure

          Our editorial team is committed to creating independent and objective content focused on helping our readers make informed decisions. To help support these efforts we receive compensation from companies that advertise with us.

          The compensation we receive from these companies may impact how and where products appear on this site. This compensation does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides within our content. We do not include all companies, products or offers that may be available.