Recent research has shown that tire wear produces almost 2,000 times more particulate pollution than that emitted from exhaust pipes your cars.
Particles released by tires pollute the air, water and soil and Contains a wide variety of toxic organic compounds, including known carcinogensThis indicates that the pollution caused by these car components is much more than previously anticipated.
Air pollution causes millions of premature deaths worldwide each year. The requirement to install better filters means that in developed countries particulate emissions from tailpipes are much lower in new cars and well below the legal limit in Europe. Again, the increased weight of the cars (due to their larger size) means that the tires throw more particles as it wears out on the road.
Tests also revealed that a car’s tires produce 36 milligrams of ultrafine particles, or particles smaller than 23 nanometers, for every kilometer traveled. These particles, which are like a kind of soot, infiltrate the human body. through the respiratory system. They also radiate from the exhaust pipes and are particularly important to health, as their size means they can enter organs through the bloodstream. Particles below 23nm are difficult to measure and are currently not regulated in either the EU or the US.
Tires are the real enemy of health
“Tires are fast dwarfing tailpipes as a major source of emissions. number of vehicles,” says Nick Molden of Emissions Analytics, the leading independent emissions testing company who led the research.
Molden explained that the first estimate of particulate emissions from tires led to the new study. “We’ve reached a staggering amount of material released into the environment: 300,000 tonnes of tire rubber from cars and vans alone each year in the UK and US.”
There are currently no regulations on the rate of tire wear and very few regulations regarding the chemicals they contain.. Emissions Analysis identified chemicals found in 250 different tire types, typically made from synthetic rubber derived from crude oil. “There are hundreds of chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic,” Molden said. “When you multiply that by the total attrition rates, you get staggering numbers on releases,” he added.
The wear rate of different brands of tires varied significantly, and the toxic chemical content changed even more, he explained, showing that low-cost changes are suitable for reducing their environmental impact.
“A lot can be done by eliminating the most toxic tires”, aforementioned. “It’s not about forcing people to stop driving or invent completely different new tires. If he could take the worst half and match them with the best in their class, it could make the difference between worlds. But for now there is no regulatory tool, no oversight,” he said.
Tire wear tests were carried out on 14 different brands he drove a normally driven Mercedes C-Class on the road, and some were tested for their entire lifespan. High-precision scales measured the weight lost by the tires, and a sampling system that collects particles behind the tires while driving evaluated the mass, number and size of the particles down to 6 nm. Real-world exhaust emissions were measured on four of today’s most popular petrol SUVs, using model years 2019 and 2020.
Used tires produced 36 milligrams of particulate matter per kilometer, 1,850 times more than an average of 0.02 mg/km for the exhaust.. A very aggressive driving style, although legal, caused particulate emissions to skyrocket to 5,760 mg/km.
Tires produce much more small particles than large ones. This means that although the vast majority of particles are small enough to be airborne and contribute to air pollution, they represent only 11% of particles by weight. However, tires still produce hundreds of times more airborne particles by weight than exhaust.
Cars are getting heavy
The average weight of cars has been increasing in recent years. However, there is a private debate as to whether electric vehicles, which are heavier than conventional cars and may have higher torque at their wheels, will cause more particulate matter to be produced in the tires. Molden thinks this would depend on driving style, as lightweight EV drivers produce less particulate matter than lean propulsion fossil fuel-powered cars, but on average he expected slightly higher tire particles from EVs.
James Tate, from the Institute for Transport Research at the University of Leeds in England, said the tire test results were reliable. “But It is very important to note that electric cars are getting lighter very quickly.“We expect electric and fossil fuel vehicles to have similar weights by 2024-25. Only large, high-quality electrics with high-capacity batteries will weigh more.”
Other recent research has suggested that: Tire particles are an important source of microplastics that pollute the oceans. A particular chemical used in tires has been linked to the death of salmon in the US, and California has recommended it be banned this month.
“The United States is more advanced in its awareness. [los impactos de las partículas de los neumáticos]said Molden. The European Union is behind in this regard,” he said.
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