Every fall, more than half of the coho salmon in Puget Sound die before they can start spawning.
Most people think that we know exactly whatchemicals are toxic, and all we have to do is control the amount of these chemicals to avoid contaminating water bodies. However, what happens is that animals are influenced by a huge number of factors that we do not even know about.
Edward Kolodziej, assistant professor in the UW Tacoma Department of Science and Mathematics and the UW Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tire scraps contain a mixture of 2,000 chemicals, likely found on every road in the world.
Coho salmon are born in freshwater streams and spendthere for about a year. After this, the fish moves to the sea, where it spends most of its adult life. Approximately 0.1% of individuals return to their original habitat or shallow bodies of water to lay eggs. However, researchers began to notice that, especially after heavy rain, returning fish were dying before they could begin spawning.
The study showed that a solution made fromparticles from worn tires, very toxic to salmon. After the composition was studied in detail, it turned out that the killer for fish was 6PPD, a chemical that is used to prevent tires from breaking down too quickly.
Now scientists have to find out how other fish react to this chemical, who is more or less sensitive to it.
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