Swiss fruits and vegetables contain tire additives

A new study has discovered that almost a third of the fruits and vegetables consumed in Switzerland contain tire additives. Additional research must establish its toxicity on human health.

Tire additives are transferred to the food chain, indicates a study by EPFL and the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (OSAV). Its results show that 31% of samples contain traces of these substances.

Traces of additives typically used in the manufacture of tires have been detected in all categories of fruits and vegetables most commonly consumed in Switzerland, according to the study of the EPFL and the OSAV published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. Scientists ignore the long -term consequences of this exposure on human health at this stage. Additional studies will have to specify, notes the EPFL on Tuesday in a press release.

This research follows the quote in August 2023 of two Austrian studies showing the presence of these additives on leafy vegetables in the German magazine K-tip. After this publication, which caused a stir, the OSV contacted the researcher Florian Breider, director of the Central Environmental Laboratory (GR-CEL) at the EPFL, in order to invest this question in Switzerland by taking into account a wider range of vegetables. He explains:

Bios too

Thanks to OSV consumption statistics, the study made it possible to establish a theoretical daily exposure rate to these ingestion molecules. result: 31% of samples contain traces of these substancesincluding the 6PPD and the 6ppd-quinone.

And this, regardless of the origin of fruits and vegetables and whether organic or not.

Only studies on rodents have to date establish the toxicity of tire additives on mammals, in particular the DPG, the 6PPD and the 6PPD-Quinone. As a result a drop in male fertility and the occurrence of neurotoxic and neuro-inflammatory effects. The critical threshold for humans is not yet known.

“We do not know how these molecules are metabolized by the human body, we must therefore be interested in it, because we are all exposed there and probably in particular certain categories of the population, such as road workers,” said Florian Breider.

To find out more, Chinese laboratories are currently carrying out in -depth studies on its population by analyzing the presence of these substances in blood and urine. At the EPFL, the GR-CEL plans to get down to it in the coming months.

Rural areas not spared

Exposure to tire additives comes from their wear on the road. Tires contain additives such as antioxidants and vulcanizing agents, whose toxicity is still unknown. These particles propagate in the atmosphere, are deposited on the floors or are transported by runoff. Humans are exposed there as much by inhalation as the ingestion of food.

According to a 2017 study, around 6 million tonnes of these additives are released in the environment each year. Another analysis carried out in 2023 notes that exposure does not spare rural areas, as the frequency of road traffic is not significant. An EPFL study has even shown that these components were found in the Alpine lakes. Exposure can therefore be compared to those of other micropollutants.

To avoid the transfer of the road to the environment, studies aimed at depolluting roads are currently underway in Switzerland. Several studies have shown that aggressive driving, with sudden accelerations and braking, aggravated the wear of tires and therefore the transfer of these particles to the atmosphere, soil and surface water. (ATS)

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