Technology News
“Car tires and brake pads produce harmful microplastics”
Date : 04-Feb-2019
Tiny pieces from rubber tires, brake pads and asphalt make up most of the airborne microplastic pollution around three German highways, a study finds.
Credits: JENNIFER LEMAN
Scientists analyzed more than 500 small particles pulled from the air around three busy German highways, and found that the vast majority — 89 percent — came from vehicle tires, brake systems and roads themselves. All together, these particles are classified by the researchers as microplastics, though they include materials other than plastic.
Those particles get blown by wind and washed by rain into waterways that lead to the ocean, where the debris can harm aquatic animals and fragile ecosystems, says environmental scientist Reto Giere of the University of Pennsylvania. He presented the findings on November 6 at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Indianapolis. Previous research has estimated that about 30 percent of the volume of microplastics polluting oceans, lakes and rivers come from tire wear.
For details: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/car-tires-and-brake-pads-produce-harmful-microplastics
Credits/News Sources: ScienceNews
Reference/Link: R. Gieré et al. Tire-wear particles as a major component of microplastics in the environment. Geological Society of America Meeting, Indianapolis, November 6, 2018.