Your Car Tires Are Releasing a Chemical That Hurts Hearts and Lungs
NonToxCo Research
Science & Safety Team · 4/6/2026
Every time tires wear down on pavement, they shed tiny particles loaded with a chemical called 6-PPD-quinone (6-PPD-Q). It's now showing up in human bodies, and it's hitting the heart and lungs.
What Is 6-PPD-Q?
6-PPD is an antioxidant added to almost every car tire on the road to prevent cracking. When it reacts with ozone in the air, it turns into 6-PPD-Q, a transformation product that's already been linked to mass salmon die-offs. Now researchers are asking what it does to people.
What Researchers Found
A 2026 review in Compr Physiol examined how micro and nanoplastics from tires, combined with 6-PPD-Q, affect the cardiopulmonary system. The findings: these particles and chemicals enter the body through the lungs and gut, cross into the bloodstream, and reach the heart.
Once there, they trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular damage in both heart and lung tissue. The review documents how tire-derived microplastics act as carriers, bringing 6-PPD-Q deep into the body where it causes the most harm.
Who's Most at Risk
People who live near busy roads, highways, or intersections get the highest exposure. So do runners, cyclists, and anyone exercising near traffic. Kids playing near streets breathe in more tire dust relative to their body weight.
What You Can Do
If you live near a busy road, keep windows closed during peak traffic and use an air purifier with a HEPA filter. Exercise away from heavy traffic when possible. Reduce dust exposure at home by wet-mopping floors regularly. Explore our non-toxic home essentials to reduce your overall chemical load.
Also see non-toxic kitchen essentials for safer alternatives.