On November 14, EPA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to gather information on the potential risks associated with N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its transformation product, 6PPD-quinone.
In August 2023, the Yurok Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians submitted a petition asking EPA to establish regulations prohibiting the manufacturing, processing, use and distribution of 6PPD in tires. EPA granted this petition in November 2023 and committed to publishing an ANPRM by Fall 2024 in order to gather more information that could be used to inform a subsequent regulatory action.
The chemical 6PPD has been used in motor vehicle tires for more than six decades to make them more durable. It can also be found in other rubber products such as footwear, synthetic turf infill and playgrounds. 6PPD reacts with ozone pollution in the air to form a transformation product called 6PPD-quinone, which may be present in stormwater runoff from parking lots and streets due to the presence of tire wear particles. Runoff may be washed into streams and other bodies of water during rain events. As a result, aquatic organisms can be exposed to 6PPD-quinone. Concentrations of 6PPD-quinone in stormwater in the Pacific Northwest were found to be lethal to coho salmon after only a few hours of exposure.
EPA will accept written comments on the ANPRM for 60 days following publication via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0403 at Regulations.gov.
- View the pre-publication version of the ANPRM for 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone.
- Read the press release.
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