US Commercial fishing groups sue tire manufacturers over fish-killing chemical

BRIDGESTONE

08/11/2023 20:50

By Clark Mindock
       Nov 8 (Reuters) - U.S. commercial fishing groups on
Wednesday sued 13 tire manufacturers in California, saying a
chemical used in their tires is poisoning West Coast watersheds
and killing rare trout and salmon.
    The Institute for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast
Federation of Fishermen's Associations sued Bridgestone Corp
 5108.T , Continental  CONG.DE , Goodyear Tire & Rubber  GT.O ,
Michelin  MICP.PA  and others in San Francisco federal court,
alleging a chemical used in their tires known as 6PPD is killing
protected salmon and trout in violation of the Endangered
Species Act.
    The fishing groups said the chemical, which becomes toxic
when it degrades, is released from tires as vehicles drive
around and park. They said the degraded chemical can be flushed
into waterways during storms, where it kills protected salmon
and trout. 
    Declining fish populations have led to restrictions on
commercial fishing, the lawsuit said.
    The lawsuit said researchers have identified the degraded
form of 6PPD as causing salmon mortality, and that scientists
believe trout and other fish are also likely being killed by the
chemical.
    The groups, which say that pollution has decimated their
industry, want the court to issue an injunction barring the
companies from manufacturing tires with the chemical without
first taking measures to protect fish and watersheds.
    The tire manufacturers did not immediately respond to
requests for comment on Wednesday.
    The lawsuit is the first in the U.S. to target tire
manufacturers for their use of 6PPD, which is found in nearly
every tire on the planet, according to Elizabeth Forsyth, an
attorney for the fishing groups with the environmental law firm
Earthjustice.
    Forsyth said the lawsuit focuses on West Coast impacts from
the chemical, but that she expects there will be further
scientific evidence tying the chemical to damages elsewhere in
the future.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said earlier this
month that it would take steps to regulate the chemical, which
has been used in tires for decades and acts as a stabilizer to
prolong the life of rubber. The EPA said exposure to the
chemical can kill fish within a few hours.
    In July, California's Department of Toxic Substances Control
adopted a rule requiring tire manufacturers to evaluate safer
alternatives to 6PPD, noting the threat to coho salmon.
    Together, the 13 tire manufacturers sued on Wednesday
account for 80% of the domestic U.S. tire market, according to
the lawsuit.

 (Reporting by Clark Mindock, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and
Sandra Maler)
 ((Clark.Mindock@thomsonreuters.com;))