Israeli Study Finds Tire Chemicals Can Enter Food Crops

Hebrew University researchers said tire-wear particles can act as reservoirs of chemical additives that gradually move from agricultural soil into crops. The study grew alfalfa and lettuce in soil with environmentally relevant tire-particle levels of 0.1 to 1 percent, then tracked six tire-derived compounds, with DPG persisting and accumulating in both plants and 6PPD-quinone detected in soils and plants. The authors said the findings, published in Environmental Research, show road traffic can create a food-production contamination pathway and that more toxicology work is needed. The research highlights Israeli agricultural and environmental science aimed at protecting public health and food security.