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Moran, K.; Askevold, R. 2022. Microplastics from Tire Particles in San Francisco Bay Factsheet. SFEI Contribution No. 1074. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.

As we drive our cars, our tires shed tiny particles

When it rains, stormwater runoff carries tire particles—and the toxic chemicals they contain—from city streets and highways to storm drains and fish habitat in creeks and estuaries like San Francisco Bay. Stormwater washes trillions of tire particles into the Bay each year.

How do tires affect wildlife?

A recent study found a highly toxic chemical (“6PPD-quinone”) derived from vehicle tires in Bay Area stormwater at levels that are lethal to coho salmon. New data indicate that steelhead, a salmon species still migrating through the Bay to surrounding watersheds, are also sensitive to this chemical.

 (1.38 MB)
Moran, K.; Miller, E.; Mendez, M.; Moore, S.; Gilbreath, A.; Sutton, R.; Lin, D. 2021. A Synthesis of Microplastic Sources and Pathways to Urban Runoff. SFEI Contribution No. 1049. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.

California Senate Bill 1263 (2018) tasks the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) with leading statewide efforts to address microplastic pollution, and requires the OPC to adopt and implement a Statewide Microplastics Strategy related to microplastic materials that pose an emerging concern for ocean health. Key questions remain about the sources and pathways of microplastics, particularly to urban runoff, to inform an effective statewide microplastics management strategy. The OPC funded this work to inform these microplastics efforts. The purpose of this project was to build conceptual models that synthesize and integrate our current understanding of microplastic sources and pathways to urban runoff in order to provide future research priorities that will inform how best to mitigate microplastic pollution. Specifically, we developed conceptual models for cigarette butts and associated cellulose acetate fibers (Section 2), fibers other than cellulose acetate (Section 3), single-use plastic foodware and related microplastics (Section 4), and tire particles (Section 5), which were prioritized based on findings from the recent urban stormwater monitoring of microplastics in the San Francisco Bay region. Conceptual models specific to each of these particle types are valuable tools to refine source identification and elucidate potential source-specific data gaps and management options.

 (9.17 MB)
Moran, K.; Sutton, R. 2023. Tire Wear: Emissions Estimates and Market Insights to Inform Monitoring Design. Gilbreath, A., Méndez, M., Lin, D., Eds.. SFEI Contribution No. 1109. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.

Every vehicle on the road sheds tiny particles from its rubber tires into the environment. Tire wear is one of the top sources of microplastic releases to the environment. Tire wear also disperses tire-related chemicals into the environment. SFEI studies supported by the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) and others have found tire wear particles and tire-related chemicals in San Francisco Bay and its small tributaries, which drain the Bay watershed’s local urban areas. The RMP has developed a short-term multi-year plan of potential special studies (“Tires Strategy”) that responds to recent data revealing the magnitude of tire particle and chemical emissions and their potential toxicity to aquatic organisms.

This article is available upon request. Please message [email protected] for the materials.