Tyre wear particles (TWPs) are small pieces of tyre tread that are formed through everyday abrasion from driving on road surfaces. These particles are a significant source of microplastic pollution in environment. In Australia alone, around 20,000 tonnes of these particles are released into the environment each year, averaging to about 0.9 kilograms per person. A wide range of chemicals are used in the manufacture of tyres (referred to as tyre additives), and as such TWPs act as a carrier for these chemicals, facilitating release and subsequent environmental and human exposure. One tyre additive raising recent global concern is the antioxidant and antiozonant N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) which transforms into the toxic chemical 6PPD-quinone during exposure to ozone. While toxicological data is still limited, it is known that 6PPD-quinone is acutely toxic to certain salmonoid species, has being reported globally in the environment and recently in human urine.
While TWPs and tyre additive chemicals are now being reported globally in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments there is limited data on their occurrence in the Australian environment, with any potential risk largely unknown. To investigate this, QAEHS (Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences) and DES (Department of Environment and Science) collaborated on a study to assess whether TWPs, tyre additives, and other common microplastics can be detected in Moreton Bay. This study aims to shed light on how these pollutants move through the environment and whether they accumulate in the sediment of Moreton Bay. Understanding this can help us better assess the risks these contaminants pose to environment and human health.
Conference Outputs
Kaur, S., Rauert, C., Thomas, K. V. Quantification and identification of microplastics in compost using Pyrolysis GC-MS method. Queensland Mass Spectrometry Symposium, Brisbane, Australia,1 December-2 December 2022.
Kaur, S., Rauert, C. & Thomas, K.V. Plastic in your garden? A study investigating microplastics and bioplastics in commercial & home-made composts, SETAC Australasia 2023, Townsville, Australia, 7-11 August 2023.
Kaur, S., Rauert, C. & Thomas, K.V. Road to contamination: Quantification and identification of tyre wear particles in balcony dust, SETAC Australasia 2023, Townsville, Australia, 7-11 August 2023.
Kaur, S., Rauert, C. & Thomas, K. A comprehensive analysis of tyre additive chemicals in the Moreton Bay catchment, Queensland Mass Spectrometry Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 9 February 2024.
Awards and Prizes
- 2022 Queensland Mass Spectrometry Symposium (QMSS), Second place for Best Student Poster - Quantification and identification of microplastics in compost using Pyrolysis GC-MS method.
