Coho-Killing 6PPD-Q ‘The DDT Of Our Generation’

THE FOLLOWING IS THE NORTHWEST INDIAN FISHERIES COMMISSION’S NOVEMBER 2021 “BEING FRANK” COLUMN, COWRITTEN BY WILLIE FRANK III, NISQUALLY TRIBE CHAIRMAN, AND DAVID TROUTT, NISQUALLY TRIBE NATURAL RESOURCES DIRECTOR

Now that we know a chemical in our car tires is killing salmon, we have to act urgently to keep it out of the water. 

Research published last year confirmed that the preservative 6PPD interacts with ozone to kill coho salmon even in low concentrations in a short amount of time. The study led by Jenifer McIntyre of Washington State University was conducted over a decade in partnership with the University of Washington at the Suquamish Tribe’s Grovers Creek Hatchery.

WILLIE FRANK III AND DAVID TROUTT. (NWIFC)

In the salmon recovery world, it’s rare that we’re able to pinpoint the exact chemical at fault. These findings are a smoking gun for the collapse of coho salmon throughout Puget Sound, especially in the urban and developing areas where roads and salmon intersect. 

Coho populations are at an all-time low, having declined steadily since the 1980s. At the same time, we’ve seen the expansion of road systems into rural areas. While there are other factors that have led to declining salmon runs, science has shown that 6PPD is a piece of the puzzle.

Antiozonants like 6PPD make tires safer by preventing the rubber compounds from cracking and degrading. When 6PPD mixes with ozone, it becomes 6PPD-quinone, or 6PPD-Q. It is omnipresent on our roadways. With every rain event, the untreated chemical washes into our streams, rivers, bays and Puget Sound, killing juvenile coho as well as returning adults attempting to spawn. 

A COHO MIGRATES UP SEATTLE’S PIPER CREEK. DOING MORE TO PROTECT RETURNING SALMON AND THEIR PROGENY FROM THE EFFECTS OF TIRE PARTICLES THAT INTERACT WITH OZONE AND ARE FLUSHED INTO STREAMS WOULD NOT ONLY HELP REBUILD FISH POPULATIONS FOR TRIBAL AND SPORT FISHERMEN, BUT PROVIDE AN ECOLOGICAL BOOST FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

Not only has this stormwater runoff been proven to kill coho salmon, it also has been shown to have sublethal effects on other fish – including reduced growth, heart defects and pulmonary edema – which affect their ability to avoid predators and can lead to poor survival.

Solving this problem demands immediate action and a long-term commitment.

The first step is to remove 6PPD at the source by identifying a harmless replacement to make tires safe. This will take time, and unfortunately, it’s not practical to replace every tire on the road. Even if we could, we would still have legacy impacts to deal with for at least 15 to 20 years. In addition to leaving residual tire dust on roads, used tires are commonly recycled into products like crumb rubber fields and playgrounds. 

A LACROSSE PLAYER TAKES A BREAK ON A SYNTHETIC FIELD IN SEATTLE. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

We need to deal with these impacts immediately by filtering 6PPD-Q from stormwater before it enters the waterways. The Nisqually Tribe is working with McIntyre, Long Live the Kings and the Washington State Department of Transportation to develop a compostable biofiltration system on Highway 7 where it crosses Ohop Creek. If we are successful, similar systems could be retrofitted along all roadways to remove this lethal, toxic chemical. 

The tire industry understandably is going to be concerned about the economic impact of removing 6PPD from their product, but they understand the need to prevent it from killing salmon. In July, a representative from the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association joined us in testifying before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, citing evidence that filtering roadway runoff through a rain garden reduces fatalities in coho salmon.

A RAIN GARDEN INSTALLATION IN SHORELINE, IN THE HEADWATERS OF SEATTLE’S THORNTON CREEK. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

This is the DDT of our generation. In the 1960s, we learned that the insecticide was harming bald eagles and other raptors. It was removed from the ecosystem – not without struggle and industry resistance – and bald eagles made a comeback. 

We are in a similar struggle. We’ve been putting 6PPD-Q into Puget Sound and it’s killing the salmon that are the lifeblood of tribal cultures here. We must do everything we can as fast as we can to keep it off our roads and out of our waterways.