Appreciating Resistance and Protest, Tactical Awareness and Counting the Cost

TIRE FIRE REPORT
2002 May – California, USA Legislative Report

Excerpt – All smoke contains toxic chemicals, different types of smoke can vary in the proportions of individual toxic constituents and toxicant classes. However, there is enough similarity between smoke types to make comparisons useful. Each tire contains about 2 gallons of oil that is similar to heating oil. Therefore tire fire smoke is probably most like an uncontrolled oil fire. Tire fire smoke is particularly irritating probably in part because sulfur dioxide is generated from the sulfur in tires.

There are a number of irritating chemicals that have been identified or are also most certainly present in tire fire smoke such as sulfur dioxide, xylenes, aldehydes, toluene, and styrene. Respirable small particles composed of a carbon core with numerous chemicals attached are also a major component of smoke. Some smoke constituents (e.g. irritants and small particles) are known to trigger asthma attacks in people with preexisting asthma. Stanislaus County data on clinic visits and phone calls seems to indicate that asthmatics did experience exacerbation of symptoms. People who have been exposed to tire fire smoke, for example at the Westley tire fire, have reported symptoms that would result from exposure to irritants. Forest fire smoke and secondhand tobacco smoke exposure have also been associated in a number of studies with exacerbation of asthma.

As noted above, tire fire smoke contains many tiny particles small enough to be inhaled into the deep lung. Those particles small enough to be inhaled into the lung are referred to as PM10 because they are 10 μm (10 millionths of a meter) or less in diameter. PM10 is known to cause increased emergency admissions to hospitals for patients with lung and heart disease. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in 24 hour average PM10 concentration has been associated with a 1% increase in daily mortality in epidemiological studies conducted in a number of cities, primarily in elderly people who have pre-existing heart and/or lung disease. In London in the early 1950’s, there were days when the PM10 concentrations were extreme (several thousand μg/m3) and thousands of people died. A concern of many people is the possibility of contracting cancer because of exposure to tire fire smoke. Tire fire smoke contains a number of known cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). The major carcinogens of concern are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a large group of fused six carbon ring structures that are formed with virtually all types of combustion sources to a greater or lesser extent. These combustion sources include, for example, wood burning, automobile and diesel engines and tobacco smoke.

…complete report PDF HERE