{
  "id": 16066834,
  "title": "Tire-derived pollutant found at elevated levels in critical fish habitats",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/tire-derived-pollutant-found-at-elevated-levels-in-critical-fish",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-22T16:00:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-derived-pollutant-elevated-critical-fish.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers studying the San Francisco Bay Area have found extremely high levels of a toxic chemical originating from tire debris in critical habitats for endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout. During a recent storm, 6PPD-quinone, a pollutant formed when rubber tires react with ozone, was detected in roadway outflows, creeks, and rivers. Many samples exceeded levels lethal to juvenile salmon. Treating stormwater runoff and developing less toxic or nontoxic tire materials could improve these environments. Coho salmon and steelhead trout are highly susceptible to 6PPD-quinone, but research on their exposure along the southern end of their range on the U.S. West Coast is limited. Ed Kolodziej, corresponding author of the study, emphasizes that physical habitat restoration and water quality improvement should be tackled together, especially in watersheds supporting endangered species. While 6PPD-quinone is not the sole harmful component of roadway runoff, scalable and cost-effective solutions are crucial.",
  "summary": "Endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout live and spawn in habitats surrounded by human activity, such as the San Francisco Bay Area. During a recent storm, researchers found high levels of the tire-derived pollutant 6PPD-quinone in roadway outflows, creeks and rivers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}