EcoNews Report

EcoNews Report: The chemical in our tires that could be killing salmon

By Tom Wheeler,

Jennifer Kalt, Scott Greacen, Alicia Hamann

Published June 29, 2026 at 3:53 PM PDT

On this week's episode Jen Kalt and Sylvia van Royen of Humboldt Waterkeeper and Tiffany Douglas of the Wiyot Tribe join the show to discuss their study on 6PPD-quinone in our local waterways, killing coho salmon. The chemical 6PPD-quinon is a product of 6PPD, which is put in tires to prevent cracking and structural failure, that is formed when bits of car tire interact with ozone.

The Wiyot Tribe and Humboldt Waterkeeper sampled 19 urban streams and parking lots that discharge stormwater runoff. Their findings were alarming: Sixty-three percent of samples (12 out of 19) exceeded the U.S. EPA aquatic screening levels.

EcoNews Report

Tom Wheeler

Tom Wheeler is the Program Director and Staff Attorney at the Environmental Protection Information Center. Tom graduated from the University of Washington School of Law with a concentration in Environmental Law. When he’s not nerding out over the Endangered Species Act (his all-time favorite law), Tom is probably plunking the banjo, playing ping-pong with his wife, Jenna, or petting his cats, Fatty and Trim. Tom can be reached at tom@wildcalifornia.org.

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Jennifer Kalt

Jennifer Kalt is the Director of Humboldt Baykeeper, which works to safeguard coastal resources for the health, enjoyment, and economic strength of the Humboldt Bay community. The Baykeeper edition of the Northcoast Environmental Center's EcoNews Report airs on the third Thursday of the month, and features interviews of the many fascinating people involved in Humboldt Bay issues. For more info, visit humboldtbaykeeper.org.

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Scott Greacen

In addition to being a host on EcoNews Report, Scott Greacen is also Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River. Scott is a graduate of Reed College and Lewis and Clark Law School, and a member of the California bar. He has been active in the environmental movement since 1989.

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Alicia Hamann

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