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Stacked tires. Photo: Kool Cats Photography. https://flic.kr/p/ChFgxf (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Conference highlights latest findings on toxic chemical in tires

The International Conference on Emerging Contaminants (EMCON), hosted virtually this month by the University of Washington, focused on newly identified threats from chemicals and microplastics in the environment. The conference provided an opportunity to hear the latest research on the discovery of a tire-related compound deadly to Puget Sound’s coho salmon.
The cause of what scientists have labeled “urban runoff mortality syndrome” among coho had been a mystery for more than 20 years until it was solved last December by scientists at our affiliate organization the Center for Urban Waters. Their research, in collaboration with scientists at the Washington Stormwater Center and NOAA, identified the deadly chemical as 6PPD-quinone, a transformation product from a tire preservative known as 6PPD.
Since that time, the discovery has touched off a wave of new research. Scientists are looking at where the chemical is found, how it moves through the environment, and whether it is impacting species other than coho, including humans.
Speaking at the conference, Zhenyu Tian of Northeastern University reported that 6PPD-quinone is widespread. The compound has now been found across the West Coast in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and as far away as China. Scientists assume that it occurs throughout the world. It has turned up as expected in roadside streams, but also in airborne dust particles in homes and appears to move easily through the environment.

Slide from Tian presentation showing deadly concentrations of 6PPD-quinone
Slide from Zhenyu Tian’s presentation showing deadly concentrations of 6PPD-quinone

Here in Puget Sound, researchers at the Center for Urban Waters, including Tian, have been studying 6PPD-quinone in Miller Creek in Seattle. Samples taken from storms in autumn 2020 and spring 2021 showed that the more it rained, the more the chemical washed from roads into the creek, often in deadly amounts. Researchers found 6PPD-quinone at concentrations well over the amount needed to kill coho. “Even if you put this [amount of chemicals] in a raging creek, you still can have a toxicological effect on the coho salmon,” Tian said.
This high toxicity amplifies concerns about how the chemical may be affecting species other than coho. Since its discovery, however, scientists have been surprised to find that while 6PPD-quinone is deadly to coho, chum salmon appear to be unharmed by it. So far, that seems to be the case for other species as well.
A recent study from Japan shows that 6PPD-quinone is not lethally toxic to some freshwater species like the small crustaceans Daphnia magna or zebra fish. Researchers eventually hope to test the effect of the chemical on other species such as rainbow trout and Chinook salmon, which have shown general sensitivity to stormwater but not 6PPD-quinone specifically. Scientists are also investigating whether the compound may be harmful to humans who are exposed to recycled rubber from tires on playgrounds, sports fields, and other environments.
The subject of potential effects on other species has caught the interest of Congress. Last month, Representatives Marilyn Strickland, D-Tacoma, and Derek Kilmer D-Gig Harbor wrote a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting $1.5 million dollars to support additional research into the effects of 6PPD-quinone. [For more information about the letter and how the discovery of 6PPD-quinone has rippled across the policy and scientific landscape, read Christopher Dunagan’s blog, “Discovery of tire-related chemical that kills coho salmon sparks widespread response.“]
In the short term, Tian said, scientists are looking at ways to keep 6PPD-quinone out of local creeks. Bioswales have been shown to filter out up to 80% of the chemical, but “we simply cannot put bioswales everywhere,” he said. “For the long term, we still think 6PPD as an antioxidant should be replaced for a safer chemical.” Until that happens, coho populations are expected to remain threatened, and “it’s very less likely that coho salmon are the only species impacted by this toxicant,” Tian said.

New NSF grant supports toxics research

Researchers at our affiliate organization the Center for Urban Waters have received a $797,107 National Science Foundation grant for the purchase of new equipment to identify toxic contaminants in Puget Sound. Ed Kolodziej is the project’s principal investigator. Co-principal investigators include David Beck, Allison Gardell, Jessica Ray, and Andy James.
The funds were awarded on July 8th and will cover the cost of a new Liquid Chromatograph-High Resolution Mass Spectrometer, an ultra-sensitive device that identifies molecules by their atomic weight. The spectrometer can measure the presence of chemical compounds at amounts in the parts per trillion and is a critical tool for finding what scientists refer to as contaminants of emerging concern. Those contaminants include compounds such as pharmaceuticals or industrial byproducts that enter Puget Sound through wastewater or stormwater. Some may occur in only trace amounts but have potentially significant effects on wildlife and humans.
The new spectrometer will replace an older model of the instrument that has been in use at the lab for the past seven years. That model contributed to several high-profile discoveries at the Center*, including last year’s identification, led by Kolodziej, of a previously unknown chemical from tire wear particles called 6-PPD-quinone. That compound has now been implicated in the deaths of large numbers of spawning coho salmon in Puget Sound and was the subject of congressional hearings earlier this month in Washington D.C.
The scientists anticipate that the new device will continue to support extensive collaborations with other groups working to unravel chemical mysteries in the region. Over the past several years, scientists at the lab have identified thousands of contaminants in Puget Sound waters ranging from opioids to birth control pills and flame retardants.
“This project will use advanced instrumentation to characterize contaminants in the environment and biological systems, enabling the design of appropriate mitigation strategies,” reads the grant’s project summary. The equipment will also “support undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and training in environmental and analytical chemistry, environmental engineering, environmental health, and data science.”
More details about the grant are available at the National Science Foundation website.
*The Center for Urban Waters is the Puget Sound Institute’s parent group and is housed at the University of Washington Tacoma.
Project summary (published as part of the NSF award)
Pollution discharged by industrial processes impacts human health and the health of ecosystems, and mitigating their effects requires considerable cost in time, effort, and dollars. This project will use advanced instrumentation to characterize contaminants in the environment and biological systems, enabling the design of appropriate mitigation strategies. It will support undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and training in environmental and analytical chemistry, environmental engineering, environmental health, and data science; and (3) foster new collaboration and community engagement opportunities, especially with the regional Native American communities, local and state government agencies, and industries impacting stormwater quality. UW-Tacoma is a primarily undergraduate institution, a non-PhD granting institution, an urban serving, a Carnegie community engaged, and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution. It has a student body comprised of many underrepresented minorities, veterans, and first-generation college students.
The system to be acquired is a Liquid Chromatograph-High Resolution Mass Spectrometer, specifically an Agilent 6546 UPLC-QTOF-HRMS instrument. The instrument will be used to understand and improve management of various forms of pollution, especially for stormwater and roadway systems, innovative treatment materials development, ecotoxicology and bioassay development, and water disinfection. For example, the instrument will be used to identify toxic transformation products from stormwater and quantify sources. Another use is to study the oxidation of persistent organic compounds in urban stormwater using ferrate-coated sand media and PFAS defluorination. Yet another study focuses on the fate of organic pollutants in the aquatic environment and their occurrence and impacts in the marine environment. With so many potential environmental pollutants, high throughput, analytical capacity, and reliability are critical limiting factors to research effectiveness. Because of the richness, depth and breadth of the data generated, screening techniques employing high resolution mass spectrometry have now become key methodologies for environmental chemistry and engineering studies.

PSI Director Joel Baker elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

Puget Sound Institute Director and University of Washington Tacoma Professor of Environmental Science Joel Baker is one of 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2021.
Baker, an environmental chemist who has worked extensively on science and policy issues related to Puget Sound, was selected for his “foundational work on the environmental fate, behavior, and toxicity of PCBs,” the Academy announced this week. He is the second member of the Puget Sound Institute to be elected to the Academy, joining Puget Sound Institute mathematical biologist Mark Mangel, who was elected to the group in 2020.
The Academy has more than 300 members with expertise across a range of scientific disciplines including the physical, mathematical, biological, and behavioral sciences. It was established by the Washington State Legislature in 2005 as an independent, non-profit advisory group to inform public policy and increase the impact of scientific research in the state. Academy members are elected annually by their peers or inducted due to their election to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, or Medicine. They can serve for an unlimited time while they live and work in the state of Washington.
As part of its role as an advisory body, the Academy will be addressing several high-profile science and policy issues this year. One of these will include a scientific and technical review of the impacts of predation by seals and sea lions on salmon in the Salish Sea, a project commissioned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Scientists say booming populations of harbor seals along the coast may be diminishing the Salish Sea’s endangered Chinook population.
“This project will involve review of the existing science and data around pinniped predation, engagement with salmon co-managers, stakeholders, and scientists beyond the committee,” the Academy wrote in its summer newsletter, “and a report describing the science of pinniped predation, including assessment of scientific and technical aspects of potential management actions.”
The Academy will also look at another topic related to Salish Sea ecosystem recovery, the establishment of a state standard for ‘net ecological gain,’ a topic that has been debated in the state legislature in recent years. Such a standard would call for rules requiring that ecological mitigation outweigh ecological damage from land development, particularly as it relates to salmon recovery and endangered species. The committee will be chaired by Puget Sound Partnership senior science advisor Ron Thom, who is a former president of the Academy.
New members will be officially inducted into the Academy during the group’s Annual Member’s Meeting in September. The Member’s Meeting will be followed by the Academy’s annual symposium on September 23, titled “Covid-19: Science and Society,” which will focus on what scientists have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and the implications for the state. Past symposiums have covered topics such as climate change, wildfires and cannabis research.
Joel Baker established the Puget Sound Institute in 2010 and holds the Port of Tacoma Chair in Environmental Science. He received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Minnesota and is the Science Director of the UW Tacoma Center for Urban Waters which houses the Puget Sound Institute.

PSI Director Joel Baker elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

Puget Sound Institute Director and University of Washington Tacoma Professor of Environmental Science Joel Baker is one of 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2021.
Baker, an environmental chemist who has worked extensively on science and policy issues related to Puget Sound, was selected for his “foundational work on the environmental fate, behavior, and toxicity of PCBs,” the Academy announced this week. He is the second member of the Puget Sound Institute to be elected to the Academy, joining Puget Sound Institute mathematical biologist Mark Mangel, who was elected to the group in 2020.
The Academy has more than 300 members with expertise across a range of scientific disciplines including the physical, mathematical, biological, and behavioral sciences. It was established by the Washington State Legislature in 2005 as an independent, non-profit advisory group to inform public policy and increase the impact of scientific research in the state. Academy members are elected annually by their peers or inducted due to their election to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, or Medicine. They can serve for an unlimited time while they live and work in the state of Washington.
As part of its role as an advisory body, the Academy will be addressing several high-profile science and policy issues this year. One of these will include a scientific and technical review of the impacts of predation by seals and sea lions on salmon in the Salish Sea, a project commissioned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Scientists say booming populations of harbor seals along the coast may be diminishing the Salish Sea’s endangered Chinook population.
“This project will involve review of the existing science and data around pinniped predation, engagement with salmon co-managers, stakeholders, and scientists beyond the committee,” the Academy wrote in its summer newsletter, “and a report describing the science of pinniped predation, including assessment of scientific and technical aspects of potential management actions.”
The Academy will also look at another topic related to Salish Sea ecosystem recovery, the establishment of a state standard for ‘net ecological gain,’ a topic that has been debated in the state legislature in recent years. Such a standard would call for rules requiring that ecological mitigation outweigh ecological damage from land development, particularly as it relates to salmon recovery and endangered species. The committee will be chaired by Puget Sound Partnership senior science advisor Ron Thom, who is a former president of the Academy.
New members will be officially inducted into the Academy during the group’s Annual Member’s Meeting in September. The Member’s Meeting will be followed by the Academy’s annual symposium on September 23, titled “Covid-19: Science and Society,” which will focus on what scientists have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and the implications for the state. Past symposiums have covered topics such as climate change, wildfires and cannabis research.
Joel Baker established the Puget Sound Institute in 2010 and holds the Port of Tacoma Chair in Environmental Science. He received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Minnesota and is the Science Director of the UW Tacoma Center for Urban Waters which houses the Puget Sound Institute.

Mercer Island student honored in national art contest for her painting of Arctic char

A 16-year-old Mercer Island High School artist, Jingyi “Alana” Yang, received multiple awards this month in the annual Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest, sponsored by the conservation group Wildlife Forever. Her painting showed an Arctic char in its natural cold-water surroundings.
Alana said she was inspired to paint the colorful fish during a family trip to Alaska, where a tour guide told her about the unique Arctic char, a migratory fish related to salmon and trout that resides in the northern regions of the world.

Arctic char by Alana Yang, winner of several awards, including second-place in national competition (click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

“I thought it was really cool, and I wanted to showcase this fish, making sure that water was part of the conversation,” she said of her acrylic painting (top left and right). “I also wanted to show what was going on underneath and outside the water.”
Alana’s artwork was honored with a second-place award for grades 10-12 among all the entries nationally and internationally. Her piece also took first place in the Migratory Fish Division for grades 7-12 and first place in the Western Native Trout Division for grades 10-12. In the state-level competition, she took top honors among Washington state artists in the grade 10-12 category. Alana is a junior this year.
In a related writing category in the contest, Alana’s one-page essay on the importance of water was judged the best among grades 10-12 in the Fish Habitat Writing Awards.
Another Washington state winner in the national contest is Celine Min, who took second place in the Western Native Trout Division and second place to Alana among Washington state entries for grades 10-12 (top right and below). Contest organizers were unable to connect me with Celine or provide additional information.
Arctic char by Celine Min, second-place winner in Washington state. // Image: Wildlife Forever

The Best of Show Award went to Sehyun Choi, a Virginia high school student who painted an Atlantic tarpon. A third-grade artist, Lusia Gu of Massachusetts, took the Smile Award, which was “created to celebrate one artist’s unique perspective on fish” and “given to the student whose piece makes the judges ‘smile’ inside and out,” according to contest rules. See Wildlife Forever’s contest page for all the winning pictures.
The art contest, created to encourage young people to think about fish, fishing and the environment, received more than 4,000 entries from 48 states and 43 countries.
“Art helps to build the foundation for youth development,” said Pat Conzemius, president and CEO of Wildlife Forever. “Through the Fish Art Program, young people learn the value of our natural resources and their role in protecting it. The artwork this year was incredible, showcasing world-class talent and future conservation leaders.”
An international panel of distinguished judges utilized an innovative online platform to select this year’s winners, according to Conzemius.
Atlantic tarpon by Sehyun Choi of Virginia, Best-of-Show award winner in the Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest (click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

Alana Yang, daughter of Jun Yang and Yan Hong of Mercer Island, said she learned of the contest from her art teacher, from whom she takes private lessons. Alana also is interested in music. She plays the clarinet and was named to this year’s All-State Band/Orchestra by the Washington Music Educators Association (Mercer Island Reporter).
Alana said she is passionate about the environment and was glad she could combine her interests.
“In terms of career plans, I want to go into marine biology or environmental science,” she said. I would like to work around water, doing research or maybe advocacy.”
Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest
State winners, Washington state

First place
This clever portrait of a Garibaldi earned Virginia third-grader Bohan Jin the “Smile Award” in the Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest. (Click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

Agnes Resa Martin Parambeth, K-3 grade, Atlantic blue marlin
Mia West, 4-6 grade, Atlantic sailfish
Diane Park, 7-9 grade, rainbow trout
Jingyi “Alana” Yang, 10-12 grade, Arctic char
Second place
Nolan Pan, K-3 grade, Atlantic blue marlin
Hayool Park, 7-9 grade, Arctic char
Celine Min, 10-12 grade, Arctic char
Third place
Rita Lorik, K-3 grade, Russian sturgeon
Megan Kassebaum, 7-9 grade, bonytail chub
Junho Yeo, 10-12 grade, Arctic char
Atlantic sailfish by Mia West was the first-place winner in Washington state among 4-6 grades. (Click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

Excerpt from Alana Yang’s essay
Clean water is vital to our health; in fact, all living organisms rely on water. This is especially true for the life forms that live in the water. Through bioaccumulation, the gradual build-up of harmful substances in an organism… Our pollution to the waters impacts virtually every part of our ecosystem…
If we want to preserve our cultures for the next generation, we need to ensure that these water bodies are protected…
How, you may ask, should we, as ordinary people, preserve our water? While governmental actions like setting sustainability limits, creating animal conservation programs, assessing and improving water quality, and much more, there are more that we can do. By actively using less water, taking care of runoff, properly disposing of chemicals and medicine, you and I can contribute. Let’s not only do it for ourselves but also for the future generations and those who share the same home as we do.

Mercer Island student honored in national art contest for her painting of Arctic char

A 16-year-old Mercer Island High School artist, Jingyi “Alana” Yang, received multiple awards this month in the annual Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest, sponsored by the conservation group Wildlife Forever. Her painting showed an Arctic char in its natural cold-water surroundings.
Alana said she was inspired to paint the colorful fish during a family trip to Alaska, where a tour guide told her about the unique Arctic char, a migratory fish related to salmon and trout that resides in the northern regions of the world.

Arctic char by Alana Yang, winner of several awards, including second-place in national competition (click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

“I thought it was really cool, and I wanted to showcase this fish, making sure that water was part of the conversation,” she said of her acrylic painting (top left and right). “I also wanted to show what was going on underneath and outside the water.”
Alana’s artwork was honored with a second-place award for grades 10-12 among all the entries nationally and internationally. Her piece also took first place in the Migratory Fish Division for grades 7-12 and first place in the Western Native Trout Division for grades 10-12. In the state-level competition, she took top honors among Washington state artists in the grade 10-12 category. Alana is a junior this year.
In a related writing category in the contest, Alana’s one-page essay on the importance of water was judged the best among grades 10-12 in the Fish Habitat Writing Awards.
Another Washington state winner in the national contest is Celine Min, who took second place in the Western Native Trout Division and second place to Alana among Washington state entries for grades 10-12 (top right and below). Contest organizers were unable to connect me with Celine or provide additional information.
Arctic char by Celine Min, second-place winner in Washington state. // Image: Wildlife Forever

The Best of Show Award went to Sehyun Choi, a Virginia high school student who painted an Atlantic tarpon. A third-grade artist, Lusia Gu of Massachusetts, took the Smile Award, which was “created to celebrate one artist’s unique perspective on fish” and “given to the student whose piece makes the judges ‘smile’ inside and out,” according to contest rules. See Wildlife Forever’s contest page for all the winning pictures.
The art contest, created to encourage young people to think about fish, fishing and the environment, received more than 4,000 entries from 48 states and 43 countries.
“Art helps to build the foundation for youth development,” said Pat Conzemius, president and CEO of Wildlife Forever. “Through the Fish Art Program, young people learn the value of our natural resources and their role in protecting it. The artwork this year was incredible, showcasing world-class talent and future conservation leaders.”
An international panel of distinguished judges utilized an innovative online platform to select this year’s winners, according to Conzemius.
Atlantic tarpon by Sehyun Choi of Virginia, Best-of-Show award winner in the Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest (click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

Alana Yang, daughter of Jun Yang and Yan Hong of Mercer Island, said she learned of the contest from her art teacher, from whom she takes private lessons. Alana also is interested in music. She plays the clarinet and was named to this year’s All-State Band/Orchestra by the Washington Music Educators Association (Mercer Island Reporter).
Alana said she is passionate about the environment and was glad she could combine her interests.
“In terms of career plans, I want to go into marine biology or environmental science,” she said. I would like to work around water, doing research or maybe advocacy.”
Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest
State winners, Washington state

First place
This clever portrait of a Garibaldi earned Virginia third-grader Bohan Jin the “Smile Award” in the Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest. (Click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

Agnes Resa Martin Parambeth, K-3 grade, Atlantic blue marlin
Mia West, 4-6 grade, Atlantic sailfish
Diane Park, 7-9 grade, rainbow trout
Jingyi “Alana” Yang, 10-12 grade, Arctic char
Second place
Nolan Pan, K-3 grade, Atlantic blue marlin
Hayool Park, 7-9 grade, Arctic char
Celine Min, 10-12 grade, Arctic char
Third place
Rita Lorik, K-3 grade, Russian sturgeon
Megan Kassebaum, 7-9 grade, bonytail chub
Junho Yeo, 10-12 grade, Arctic char
Atlantic sailfish by Mia West was the first-place winner in Washington state among 4-6 grades. (Click to enlarge) // Image: Wildlife Forever

Excerpt from Alana Yang’s essay
Clean water is vital to our health; in fact, all living organisms rely on water. This is especially true for the life forms that live in the water. Through bioaccumulation, the gradual build-up of harmful substances in an organism… Our pollution to the waters impacts virtually every part of our ecosystem…
If we want to preserve our cultures for the next generation, we need to ensure that these water bodies are protected…
How, you may ask, should we, as ordinary people, preserve our water? While governmental actions like setting sustainability limits, creating animal conservation programs, assessing and improving water quality, and much more, there are more that we can do. By actively using less water, taking care of runoff, properly disposing of chemicals and medicine, you and I can contribute. Let’s not only do it for ourselves but also for the future generations and those who share the same home as we do.

Mathematical tools to aid in the interpretation of coronavirus testing

New mathematical equations co-developed by Puget Sound Institute affiliate research professor Marc Mangel are designed to help health officials interpret coronavirus test results for better risk assessments. 
As more people in the U.S. are vaccinated and mask restrictions loosen, public health officials hope that the coronavirus pandemic has reached a turning point. Even so, the virus continues to rage around the world and concerns remain for people who are unvaccinated or may have compromised immune systems. Testing for new infections continues to be a critical tool in the fight against the virus.
One of the most common coronavirus tests is the rapid antigen test, which can be done without laboratory analysis in as few as 15 minutes. Its speed and convenience are a big plus when dealing with a quickly spreading virus, but the test is prone to errors, sometimes showing false negative or positive results, especially when it is conducted in the early stages of the disease. As a result, just based on testing, it is often difficult to know the true rate of infection in a community.
That’s a challenge for health officials and it can have big impacts on policy decisions. The number of coronavirus cases in a community can help determine when a county allows public gatherings. It can help hospitals assess the need for critical resources like respirators and medical staff. Now, a new mathematical tool developed by Puget Sound Institute affiliate research professor Marc Mangel in collaboration with Alan Brown of Johns Hopkins University is available to help health officials better gauge case rates, and to calculate the risk of exposure to the virus in groups of different sizes.
The method is outlined in a paper released by Johns Hopkins University and describes a series of equations “that can be implemented in a spreadsheet or using a handheld calculator,” Mangel and Brown write, making them accessible to non-mathematicians. Public officials can use the equations to correct for the testing errors and then advise policymakers on where to prioritize resources.
“Suppose a group of people go to a wedding and the next day learn that someone tested positive, so they all go out to get tested,” Mangel says. “Most tests are not as accurate early in the infection,” he says. “Our equation is a way of better interpreting the results of those tests — what the true risk is.”
While the equation itself does not give an exact case count, Mangel says, it allows officials to get closer to the true number of infections by providing reasonable upper and lower bounds for the estimate. The result can be visualized as a curve on a graph. Users can draw horizontal and vertical lines that intersect with the curve based on risk percentage and group size (see the graph labeled “Figure 2” from the paper), although the curve becomes less useful as case rates approach zero.

A figure and text from the paper ‘Operational analysis for coronavirus testing: Recommendations for practice’ published by Johns Hopkins University.

The equation involves math similar to that used in the fishery sciences, says Mangel, who specializes in mathematical biology and applies mathematics to Puget Sound recovery work. Mangel’s work often spans across disciplines, from cybersecurity to social networks, and now epidemiology. He compares the current equation to one used in juvenile rockfish surveys in the California Current. In that case, for example, there will be a certain number of false positives or negatives when counting fish, and scientists can use similar math to account for identification errors.
“One of the great things about mathematics is that it allows you to see commonalities in systems that on the surface look completely different,” says Mangel who hopes the same equation could be used in the event of other outbreaks of infectious diseases beyond Covid-19. “Next time, we would like to be more prepared.”

Stormwater picks up contaminants from vehicles. Photo: Daniel Parks (CC BY-NC 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/parksdh/7014755513

Could tire discovery go beyond impacts on coho?

Scientists have suspected for several years that chemicals from tire wear particles are to blame for the deaths of thousands of coho salmon that have returned to spawn in Puget Sound’s urban streams. Sometimes referred to as “pre-spawn mortality” or “urban runoff mortality syndrome,” these deaths typically occur in streams near roads, and scientists have been analyzing a wide variety of automobile-derived chemicals to see if they produced similar toxic effects.
Now, thanks to some painstaking detective work by our partners at the University of Washington Center for Urban Waters (our groups are affiliated and share lab space) and many other collaborators, researchers can point to 6-PPD-quinone, a derivative from a preservative in tires called 6-PPD. The finding is as unexpected as it is fraught with implications. The chemical comes about only when the tire preservative is exposed to naturally occurring ground-level ozone in the environment creating a “transformation product” not previously identified. A paper outlining the discovery is published today (Dec. 3) in the journal Science and you can read more details from Christopher Dunagan in our magazine Salish Sea Currents.

A dying female coho salmon in the Lower Duwamish spotted by Puget Soundkeeper volunteers in October 2017. Photo: Kathy Peter
A dying female coho salmon in the Lower Duwamish spotted by Puget Soundkeeper volunteers in October 2017. Photo: Kathy Peter

In some ways the research on 6-PPD-quinone is just beginning. What started out as a local mystery could now catalyze studies around the world. Scientists wonder if the newly identified chemical is harming more than just coho.
“This is the first thing I’ve worked on in my career where I have no idea where the story ends,” says the paper’s co-senior author Ed Kolodziej. “It’s kind of what keeps you up at night. You’re wondering, ‘How wide is it?'”
Tires and similar rubber products are found everywhere in the world, he points out, and while 6-PPD-quinone has not been shown to kill some other species of salmon (it doesn’t appear to harm chum, for example) there is speculation that the impacts could be more widespread.
“We just have no idea,” he says. “All these questions are just totally wide open because there’s just no information out there.”
Given the potential ramifications, scientists may now begin to search for similar impacts among often vulnerable species such as stream invertebrates and amphibians, but it is also clear that humans are sometimes exposed to similar 6-PPD compounds. “We know the 6-PPD parent compound [has been documented] in house dust,” Kolodziej offers as an example. It also occurs in recycled tires that are used for crumb rubber playing fields and gym mats. “We’re generating a billion tires a year globally that need to be disposed of,” says Kolodziej. “All these things and all those recycled products likely contain some level of 6-PPD and the 6-PPD quinone as well. So, humans, I think, have a variety of exposure pathways.”
Could that endanger human health? “Again, we just have no idea,” Kolodziej says. 
What is known, however, are the implications for coho salmon. In the short term, Kolodziej hopes that the revelations in the Science paper will at least lead to more “salmon safe” tires.
“Tires need these preservative chemicals to make them last,” Kolodziej told UW News. “It’s just a question of which chemicals are a good fit for that and then carefully evaluating their safety for humans, aquatic organisms,” and other species, he says. “We’re not sure what alternative chemical we would recommend, but we do know that chemists are really smart and have many tools in their toolboxes to figure out a safer chemical alternative.”


View a video about the discovery below.

Distinguished Research Award recipient Ed Kolodziej.

Kolodziej wins UWT’s 2020 Distinguished Research Award

Puget Sound Institute collaborator Ed Kolodziej is the recipient of this year’s University of Washington Tacoma Distinguished Research Award for his work to identify toxic contaminants in the Puget Sound watershed. The annual award “recognizes a faculty member who has achieved a record of notable scholarship or creative activity, who has generated new knowledge or creativity that impacts their intellectual discipline, and who has contributed to the intellectual climate of the UW Tacoma campus and its communities.”
Kolodziej has been with the University of Washington since 2014 and holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Seattle) and the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (Tacoma). He is affiliated with the University of Washington Tacoma Center for Urban Waters where he is a regular collaborator with the Puget Sound Institute.
Kolodziej’s research includes screening of both freshwater and marine sources to identify contaminants that could harm wildlife. Recently, he has been working with scientists at NOAA and Washington State University to isolate the chemicals in tire wear particles that may be killing large numbers of coho salmon as they enter Puget Sound streams to spawn. “Our method allows us to detect hundreds to thousands of chemicals at once in a single sample,” Koldziej told UW News earlier this year. “On CSI when they have these instruments, they turn on the instrument and it tells them: ‘That’s ibuprofen.’ But in reality, it’s a lot of work to get to get to a point where you are absolutely sure you know what that chemical really is,” he said.
Other areas of Kolodziej’s research include “zombie” chemicals that change into dangerous forms after exposure to the environment and the identification of pharmaceuticals that are released into Puget Sound through wastewater.
In an announcement, the award committee recognized Kolodziej’s “impressive record of serving as the Principal Investigator on research grants and acknowledged his extensive publications in high-impact peer review journals and service on advisory and journal editorial boards.”
Read an earlier profile of Ed Kolodziej in the PSI blog. 

A still from Engineering With Nature. Associate Professor Ed Kolodziej, at right, is interviewed by Katherine Lynch of Seattle Public Utilities.

Kolodziej, Peter Featured in SIFF Documentary on Seattle’s Thornton Creek

A new documentary featuring PSI collaborators Ed Kolodziej and Kathy Peter was selected to premiere at the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) on Saturday, June 8.
The 70-minute documentary, “Engineering with Nature – An Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone” was directed by environmental filmmaker Shelly Solomon and is distributed through Leaping Frog Films. It describes a four-year effort by Seattle Public Utilities to restore Thornton Creek, Seattle’s largest and most urbanized stream with 18 miles of waterway and a 12-square-mile watershed. The once-polluted and neglected creek is becoming a flourishing home for spawning salmon.
Read the full story at UW Tacoma News.