AKRON — Trade journal Rubber News — a sister publication of Tire Business — will host a webinar Sept. 14 addressing the controversy surrounding an antioxidant used in rubber compounding that has been linked to fish kills on the U.S. West Coast.
The situation involves the antioxidant N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine), more commonly called 6PPD, which transforms as the rubber compound breaks down and then reacts with ozone into what is described as a more toxic and mobile "6PPD-quinone transformation product."
According to a study published in the December 2022 issue of Science magazine, researchers contend that concentrations of the 6PPD derivative in rivers where salmon spawn are responsible for "unexplained acute mortality" when adult salmon migrate to urban creeks to reproduce.
Three Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest — comprising nearly 10,000 individuals — and the Institute for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations have filed suit against 13 tire makers demanding an immediate ban on the additive.
During a free one-hour Rubber News Live event, representatives from the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and California Department of Toxic Substances will join Rubber News Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven and Reporter Andrew Schunk. They'll break down the issue and talk about what could be ahead for the industry overall, including short-term mitigation efforts that could help bridge the gap between 6PPD and its alternative.
The livestream, sponsored by Endurica L.L.C., is scheduled to run from 2 to 3 p.m. (EDT) on the 14th. Registration is free and those who have registered will be able to access the program on-demand after it airs.
