Test Proves Car Tires Exacerbate Microplastic Pollution

Plastic waste in the environment and in the world's oceans is a well-known problem, and yet the pollution caused by car tires does not usually make the headlines, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: 500,000 tons of tire abrasions are produced in the EU every year.

Now a new analysis by Germany's huge ADAC motoring club of almost 100 summer and winter tires has shed light on the problem of tire abrasion, which sheds microplastics into the environment.

However, not all tires cause the same levels of pollution, and the German car club's test showed that some models generate very low levels of particulate matter compared with other brands.

Tires from French maker Michelin came out best in the test with an average particulate generation of 90g/1,000km while the pneumatics from Pirelli were at the opposite end of the scale with an average of 134g/1,000km. One tire from Michelin was rated at only 58g/1,000km.

According to recent studies, around 500,000 tons of tire abrasions are produced in the EU every year. In Germany, synthetic rubber, which is comprised of microplastics, accounts for around a third of all micro-plastic emissions from car tire abrasions.

The majority of tire and road wear remains on the roadway or close to the carriageway. Most of it is collected and discharged by road surface water when it rains. It then seeps into the soil, causing pollution, or drains into sewers and makes its way into rivers and oceans.

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