Microplastics databaseTypes of plasticChecked 2026-10-01
Tire wear dust (rubber)
Comes from roads. Estimated at 5 to 10% of the plastic entering the ocean.
Main uses
- Car tires (synthetic rubber such as SBR)
Found in food, water and the human body
- 0.23 to 4.7 kg per person per year, a global average of 0.81 kg. Estimated at 5 to 10% of the plastic entering the ocean (Kole et al. 2017; a wide-ranging estimate)
- In the brain study, synthetic rubber (SBR) increased from 2016 to 2024 (Nihart et al. 2025)
- 6PPD-quinone, derived from a tire additive, was detected in road dust in Tokyo (Hiki & Yamamoto 2022)
Evaluations of raw materials and additives
- 1,3-Butadiene is IARC Group 1, styrene is 2A, and carbon black is 2B. Tire wear particles themselves are not classified
IARC classifications rate the strength of evidence that something can cause cancer, not the size of the risk at everyday amounts.
Japan's standards (utensils, containers and packaging that touch food)
- Rubber is not included in “plastic” under the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law
General standards for all synthetic resins: cadmium and lead in the material 100 μg/g or less each, heavy metals migrating (as lead) 1 μg/mL or less, and others. Since June 2020, synthetic resins that touch food have been under a “positive list system” that sets which substances may be used (the transition period ended May 31, 2025). → Rules and regulation
Sources
- Kole PJ, et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2017;14(10):1265 (PMID 29053641)
- Hiki K, Yamamoto H. Environ Pollut 2022;302:119082 (PMID 35245619)
- Consumer Affairs Agency, standards for utensils, containers and packaging (Notification No. 370, Part 3) (Japanese)
- IARC List of Classifications
Last checked 2026-10-01. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
This page lists facts stated in laws, public agencies' evaluations and papers. It does not judge whether any material or product is good or bad.