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Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated six million tonnes of tyre particles.
Generated by the wear and tear of normal driving, they eventually build up in the soil, in rivers and lakes and even in our food.
But unlike other microplastics, hundreds of toxic chemicals go into making tyres and have been known to cause mass die-offs for fish.
A recent collaborative study Priorities to Inform Research on Tire Particles and Their Chemical Leachates: A Collective Perspective has called for more research into their effects.
Mihi spoke to its lead author PhD researcher Henry Obanya at the University of Portsmouth in the UK who explained why tyre particles are so different.
