Scientists researching unexplained deaths of wild salmon on the West Coast of America believe that a chemical leaching from vehicle tires is contaminating roadways and ending up in waterways where salmon swim and spawn.
The chemical comes from tire treads as they wear down during use. Scientists have been stumped for years as to what’s causing salmon deaths in the waters before they even get a chance to spawn, and now they finally think this chemical is the culprit. “Fish located in waterways closest to high-traffic urban areas have often fared the worst,” CNN reported — a clue that led researchers to suspect roadways played a role in the salmon deaths.
The researchers’ studies showed that something called 6PPD-quinone, which they found coming from roadway runoff, was what is killing the fish.
SOURCE: CNN December 3, 2020