Fishing groups sue over car tire chemical linked to salmon deaths

David Erickson

Every time you drive your car, the friction of the tires rubbing against the road erodes a little bit of the tire material into the ground, where rain could eventually wash it into a stream or river.

A groundbreaking 2020 study from a team of researchers at the University of Washington found that a chemical called 6PPD found in most tires can kill fish in mass quantities, and millions of pounds of the substance wash into waterways all over the world every year.

Now, the 13 largest tire manufacturers in the United States are being sued by two commercial fishing groups — the Institute for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations — over the use of the chemical. The Environmental Protection Agency also recently granted a petition submitted by the Yurok, Port Gamble S’Klallam and Puyallup tribes that asked for regulations that prohibit the chemical due to its lethal effects on salmon, steelhead and other wildlife.

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“The petition is a huge win for ney-puey (salmon) and the planet,” said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe of northern California. “The Yurok

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