"The fishers allege that a chemical additive used in tyres is polluting rivers and waterways, killing coho salmon and other fish. If successful, the case could have implications far beyond the United States. The case was initiated after the apparent solving of a decades-old mystery: what was causing mass deaths of endangered coho salmon in the Pacific north-west as they returned to streams to spawn."
"In 2020, they published a study in Science that claimed to solve the mystery: they found a toxic substance in leachate from car tyres that killed the fish. Known as 6PPD-quinone or 6PPD-q, it is an oxidation product from 6PPD, a chemical added to car tyres to prevent them breaking down. This transformed chemical, 6PPD-q, leaches into rivers and creeks with, scientists say, devastating results for the protected and endangered species."
A district judge in San Francisco presided over a three-day trial brought by west coast fishers and conservationists against US tyre companies alleging a tyre chemical additive pollutes rivers and kills coho salmon. Fish deaths occurred after heavy rain when returning coho exhibited gasping behaviour and circular swimming. Washington State University scientists identified a toxic oxidation product, 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-q), formed from 6PPD used in tyres, that kills salmon. Scientific studies link 6PPD and 6PPD-q to mass coho mortality and harms to other salmon. Plaintiffs include the Institute for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, represented by Earthjustice. Fishers depend on healthy salmon populations for their livelihood.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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