A tire-related chemical found to kill coho salmon and other fish has come under intense worldwide investigation ever since Puget Sound researchers isolated the singular compound from among thousands of pollutants residing in stormwater. The chemical, 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ), was virtually unknown until its isolation in 2020. Now, it is recognized as one of the most toxic chemicals ever seen in the aquatic environment. Scientists from at least 10 countries have been measuring its effects on a variety of fish and other organisms. Meanwhile, other researchers have been probing the chemical’s influence and damage at the cellular level. In rapid succession, dozens of reports in scientific journals have described some remarkable findings — and yet much about 6PPD-Q remains unexplained.
Source: Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Overview
Environmental engineers and chemists at the University of Washington Tacoma have identified a mysterious compound implicated in the deaths of large numbers of coho salmon in Puget Sound. The chemical is linked with a rubber additive commonly used in tires and is thought to kill more than half of the spawning coho that enter the region's urban streams every year.
