Food & Drink / Compounds / Tire wear particles (TWP)

Tire wear particles (TWP) in food: ingestion safety

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Second-largest source of microplastics globally (~6 million tonnes/year). Composed of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), natural rubber, carbon black, zinc oxide, and ~400 chemical additives. Respirable fraction (PM2.5-PM10) near roadways. Contains PAHs, heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu), benzothiazoles, and 6PPD-quinone.

What is tire wear particles (twp)?

Also known as: Tire wear particles, TWP, Tire and road wear particles, TRWP.

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Risk for people

Moderate risk

Second-largest source of microplastics globally (~6 million tonnes/year). Composed of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), natural rubber, carbon black, zinc oxide, and ~400 chemical additives. Respirable fraction (PM2.5-PM10) near roadways. Contains PAHs, heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu), benzothiazoles, and 6PPD-quinone.

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Tire wear particles (TWP). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU2024Euro 7 regulation includes tire abrasion emission limits (first globally) — effective 2028
ECHA2023Intentional use restriction covers crumb rubber (playground/turf infill)
EPA2024Aquatic Life Criteria for 6PPD-quinone under development

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter tire wear particles (twp)

  • Road Environment
  • Playground
  • Drinking Water
  • Air

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Tire wear particles (TWP):

  • Natural rubber (guayule-derived) tire compounds
    Trade-offs: Lower abrasion resistance → more wear. Supply chain limited. Still generates particles, but potentially less toxic.
    Relative cost: 2-3×
  • 6PPD-free antiozonant tire formulations
    Trade-offs: Addresses the most acutely toxic component (lethal to coho salmon) but doesn't eliminate particle generation.
    Relative cost: 1.5-2×

Frequently asked questions

Why do regulators disagree about tire wear particles (twp)?

Tire wear particles (TWP) has been classified by 3 agencies including EU, ECHA, EPA, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Tire wear particles (TWP) in the food app

Look up products containing tire wear particles (twp), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (1)
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Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →