Figure 1
From: Microbial community shifts induced by plastic and zinc as substitutes of tire abrasion
Pictorial representation showing how pollutants from tire abrasion enter aquatic ecosystems. While driving, the tire wears off and leaves particles on the road surface, which are further degraded to micro-and nanoparticles by friction and UV radiation. These particles are discharged with the next heavy rainfall into aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. There they interact and affect microbial organisms and are further accumulated along the food chain17.
