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Name: Doug Moe
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
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Date: N/A
Question:
Where does the rubber of the tire go that wears out from driving on the road? What effect does this "rubbed off" rubber have on the environment?


Replies:
You can see rubbed off rubber patches wherever cars skid - skid marks are everywhere. The rubber tends to stick to the road, or gradually blow off as dust. I do not honestly think anyone has ever thought about the environmental effects of rubber dust, but I could be wrong. A much bigger problem is what to do with the tires after the tread wears off. And the exhaust gasses from cars probably have a bigger environmental impact than rubber dust. One thing you can do with old tires is to recycle them into asphalt and use it to pave roads - then you not only have tires on the road but IN the road too. Here is a book to check out: "Highway Pollution", by Ronald S. Hamilton and Roy M. Harrison, 1991.

Mortis


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