6PPD-Quinone is the tire product generated from oxidation of 6PPD in presence of ozone. 6PPD is the primary antioxidant chemical used in tire rubber. Already this compound has caused mortality of coho salmon (Oncorhycchus kisutch) in high numbers in the US Pacific Northwest. Water carried with tire fragments in the urban runoff have resulted mortality of salmon during their spawning season. Will 6PPD-Quinone cause havoc to the aquatic species in the future? Is it already widespread in water resources? How to measure and how to control the effect of this chemical in water?
New research to find the impact of 6PPD-Quinone on the health and survival of coho salmon need some attention.
If it is the water runoff from urban settings that causes coho salmon mortality, it is hard to distinguish whether 6PDD-Quinone might be the toxicant (though it sounds highly correlated). More research is definitely needed! The effect of this chemical would be interesting to investigate especially if we can provide an alternative in tire materials.
I fully agree with you, Dr. Hannah Moran-MacDonald! This chemical is emerging and some experts have already pointed to 6PPD-Quinone as possible reason of coho salmon mortality. I have not seen any peer reviewed journal article or any test supporting that hypothesis. Thank you for your comment. Please forward me any paper discussing about it!
6PPD is a phenylenediamine, an organic chemical, is a well known tire preservative which is highly toxic to fish (coho slmon) and other aquatic organisms. There are also risks associated with 6PPD's use that involve environmental releases leading to damage of natural resources and impacting waterway. 6PPD reacts with ozone to form 6PPD-quinone. 6PPD-quinone discharges have to be managed by adapting regulatory and treatment strategies along with source control. If a chemical is concerned with natural resources damage, private litigation can be brought against it.
Thanks for your comment Dr. Munira Nasiruddin. I am not sure if we know toxicity of coho salmon as a function of 6PPD Quinone concentration. I would like to see some research if that chemical has been found in the influent/effluent water of a water treatment plant. What would be the measurement methods for influent/effluent water. Please share!
Does the gaskets used in pressure cooker in households, hotels and restaurants contain any traces of it must be investigated...?
It is a very good question, Dr. Ravikumar! I don't know the answer, but my guess would be abrasion of rubber material would create 6PPD Quinone precursor but it becomes toxic when mixed with hydrophobic organic material from coming out the car fuels. I may be wrong! I welcome discussion!
Thank you, Dr. Ravikumar! It is a very interesting issue regarding rubber gasket which is a source of 6PPD. But the problem is with the 6PPD-Quinone forming potential. There are observations on 6PPD-Quinone from the tire point of view but nothing from the pressure cooker side. I am not sure if this is a valid statement. I am open for discussions!
You are welcome, Dr. Ravikumar! Please let me know if you conduct any research on the rubber gasket. I am interested!
Dear Rajat,
I just came across your very interesting technical question. Although it has been asked more than half a year ago, the problem is still of current interest and has not yet been really solved. I must admit that I had not heard about 6PPD-quinone before because we are inorganic chemists. In this context please have a look at the following more recent link in which it is outlined that 6PPD-quinone (= N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone) was the cause of an unexplained mass death case of salmon:
https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/08/09/6PPD-quinone-The-environmental-contaminant-killing-Coho-salmon#
Also please have a look at the following scientific article about this issue:
Acute Toxicity of a Tire Rubber-Derived Chemical, 6PPD Quinone, to Freshwater Fish and Crustacean Species
Article Acute Toxicity of a Tire Rubber-Derived Chemical, 6PPD Quino...
Unfortunately this article has not yet been posted as public full text on RG. However, seven of the eight authors have RG profiles. Thus you can easily request the full text of the paper directly from one of authors via RG.
Good luck with your work and best wishes, Frank Edelmann
Thank you, Dr. Frank T. Edelmann for your thoughtful comments and references. This is a new topic in the water resources management field as well. I thought we should put more focus on these issues as well. I am wondering about any link between 6PPD-Quinone and microplastics studies in water resources. It will be interesting.
Happy to share our research paper on how tire borne chemicals (6PPD and 6PPD quinone) can affect the behaviour of zebrafish larvae.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389421025917?via%3Dihub
Thank you Dr. Shubham Varshney. Can this chemical affect zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) larvae as well? Any comment?
Hello Dr. Rajat
This chemical has shown species specificity characteristics. It showed very high mortality in coho salmon but not in chum salmon. So it's difficult to say that whether it will affect zebra mussel or not. We need to test it.
Thank you for your comment, Dr. Varshney. It is interesting that mortality rates are so varied from species to species. Maybe the acuteness of 6PPD depends on physiological response by the specific species. A higher dose of 6 PPD may cause mortality of zebra mussel which needs to study.
Yes, thats true acuteness of 6PPD depends on physiological response by the specific species.
My work has detected 6PPD-quinone (among other tire-derived pollutants) in receiving waters in urban centres of Toronto, ON, indicating its ubiquity. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you cannot access my work through your institution.