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Earthworms play an important role in soil ecosystems (Photo: Ecotox Centre).

Earthworms avoid tyre abrasion

May 21, 2025 | Anke Schäfer, Oekotoxzentrum / Andri Bryner

Tyre abrasion gets from the road into adjacent soils and affects soil organisms. A joint study by the Ecotox Centre, the aquatic research institute Eawag and the EPFL now shows that earthworms avoid soil that is heavily contaminated with tyre particles. However, the particles had no negative effects on the survival and reproduction of the animals.

Car tyres wear out while driving. Tyre abrasion forms. These small particles contain rubber, minerals, bitumen and numerous chemicals, some of which come from the tyres themselves and some from the road surface. These include substances that are harmful to aquatic organisms. It is estimated that more than 3 million tonnes of such particles are released worldwide every year, and the trend is rising.

Because tyre abrasion gets into the soil along roads, the animals living there, such as earthworms and nematodes, are particularly exposed to it due to their way of life - namely digging through and eating soil. Most of the tyre chemicals from heavily contaminated soils could also be detected in the tissue of earthworms examined. The earthworms absorbed them by eating the soil.

Avoidance but no negative effect on reproduction

An avoidance test was used to analyse whether the animals actively avoid the contaminated soil when given the choice. The earthworms were kept in a container with contaminated soil on one side and clean soil on the other. It was then analysed which half of the container the worms moved to. At higher tyre abrasion concentrations, the worms strongly avoided the contaminated soil, while no effect was observed at lower concentrations. "At higher concentrations, we therefore expect negative effects on earthworms and the soil may no longer be suitable as a habitat for the animals," says first author Thibault Masset from EPFL. The heavily contaminated soil also smelled strongly of tyre chemicals, which indicates that the tyres released volatile substances. The researchers also investigated how the tyre particles affect the survival and reproduction of earthworms. No significant effects were observed.

This text is a summary of the more detailed information (author: Anke Schäfer) available in German and French on the website of the Ecotox Centre.


Cover Picture: Earthworms play an important role in soil ecosystems (Photo: Ecotox Centre).

Original article

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      title => protected'Effects of tire particles on earthworm (Eisenia andrei) fitness and bioaccum
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      categories => protected'tire; tyre; TRWP; tire-associated compounds; microplastics; bioaccumulation;
          avoidance' (86 chars)
      description => protected'Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) are produced during the wear of tire rub
         ber on the road pavement and contain various chemicals originating from the 
         road environment and from the rubber. Toxic effects of TRWP and their associ
         ated chemicals on soil organisms remain poorly characterized. In a series of
          laboratory experiments, this study investigated the bioaccumulation kinetic
         s of several common tire-related chemicals in the earthworm species Eisenia 
         andrei using Cryogenically Milled Tire Tread (CMTT), as a surrogate for envi
         ronmental TRWP. Effects on survival, growth, reproductive output and behavio
         ur were determined. Average biota-soil accumulation factors ranged from 0.8 
         to 4.7 indicating low to moderate bioaccumulation of the tire-related chemic
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          and elimination rates (0.0–6.3 days<sup>−1</sup>) in E.andrei. Still, t
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         tire particles could lead to trophic transfer to preys feeding on earthworms
          and requires further investigated. No significant effects on survival and g
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         entration and a slight decrease of the weight of the juveniles were observed
         . Moreover, a strong and significant avoidance behaviour was observed for wo
         rms exposed to 5% CMTT. This work highlights that soil highly contaminated w
         ith tire particles can negatively impact habitat function due to changes in 
         texture and/or chemical stressors, lead to uptake of tire-related additives 
         by earthworms and that high concentrations can impact organism's fitness.' (1745 chars)
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Effects of tire particles on earthworm (Eisenia andrei) fitness and bioaccumulation of tire-related chemicals

Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) are produced during the wear of tire rubber on the road pavement and contain various chemicals originating from the road environment and from the rubber. Toxic effects of TRWP and their associated chemicals on soil organisms remain poorly characterized. In a series of laboratory experiments, this study investigated the bioaccumulation kinetics of several common tire-related chemicals in the earthworm species Eisenia andrei using Cryogenically Milled Tire Tread (CMTT), as a surrogate for environmental TRWP. Effects on survival, growth, reproductive output and behaviour were determined. Average biota-soil accumulation factors ranged from 0.8 to 4.7 indicating low to moderate bioaccumulation of the tire-related chemicals. Toxicokinetics showed both high uptake (0.0–13.2 days−1) and elimination rates (0.0–6.3 days−1) in E.andrei. Still, the uptake of tire-related chemicals in earthworms' tissues and ingestion of tire particles could lead to trophic transfer to preys feeding on earthworms and requires further investigated. No significant effects on survival and growth were recorded after exposure to 0.05 and 5% CMTT. In the reproduction test, a slight increase of the reproductive output with increasing CMTT concentration and a slight decrease of the weight of the juveniles were observed. Moreover, a strong and significant avoidance behaviour was observed for worms exposed to 5% CMTT. This work highlights that soil highly contaminated with tire particles can negatively impact habitat function due to changes in texture and/or chemical stressors, lead to uptake of tire-related additives by earthworms and that high concentrations can impact organism's fitness.
Masset, T.; Breider, F.; Renaud, M.; Müller, J.; Bergmann, A.; Vermeirssen, E.; Dudefoi, W.; Schirmer, K.; Ferrari, B. J. D. (2025) Effects of tire particles on earthworm (Eisenia andrei) fitness and bioaccumulation of tire-related chemicals, Environmental Pollution, 368, 125780 (9 pp.), doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.125780, Institutional Repository
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