A ubiquitous tire-derived chemical is killing coho salmon

Each year, more than half the coho salmon that return to spawn in Puget Sound’s urban streams die suddenly when exposed to stormwater that has flushed through highways and city streets. A team of researchers has identified a single contaminant, 6PPD-quinone, as the cause of this mass poisoning. This chemical forms from a common tire preservative and has now been observed at toxic concentrations in roadway runoff and stormwater-impacted creeks all along the West Coast. Rebecca Sutton, an environmental chemist specializing in unregulated, emerging contaminants, will share this detective story within the larger context of chemical and microplastic contamination of aquatic ecosystems, and discuss potential solutions to protect salmon in our state.