Silent Contamination: The State of the Art, Knowledge Gaps, and a Preliminary Risk Assessment of Tire Particles in Urban Parks

Abstract

Tire particles (TPs) are one of the main emission sources of micro- and nano-plastics into the environment. Although most TPs are deposited in the soil or in the sediments of freshwater and although they have been demonstrated to accumulate in organisms, most research has focused on the toxicity of leachate, neglecting the potential effects of particles and their ecotoxicological impact on the environment. In addition, studies have focused on the impact on aquatic systems and there are many gaps in the biological and ecotoxicological information on the possible harmful effects of the particles on edaphic fauna, despite the soil ecosystem becoming a large plastic sink. The aim of the present study is to review the environmental contamination of TPs, paying particular attention to the composition and degradation of tires (I), transport and deposition in different environments, especially in soil (II), the toxicological effects on edaphic fauna (III), potential markers and detection in environmental samples for monitoring (IV), preliminary risk characterization, using Forlanini Urban Park, Milan (Italy), as an example of an urban park (V), and risk mitigation measures as possible future proposals for sustainability (VI).

Current Concerns about Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Brief Overview

“…With particular concern to tire road wear particles (TRWP), there is a significant number of reports in the literature addressing this issue and to be cited [ 42 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ]…”

Contribution of Road Vehicle Tyre Wear to Microplastics and Ambient Air Pollution

“…Tyre particles and tyre leachates can cause various biological responses in aquatic and terrestrial biota. However, the environmental and health impacts of this type of pollution are poorly understood [10][11][12][13]. There is no "damage cost" specifically for tyres or particles > 10 µm, as given for particulate matter < 2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ) or <10 µm (PM 10 ) and NO X in the "Handbook on external costs of transport" [14].…”