Is Burning Tires Harmful to Health?
2 Answers
Tires are synthetic rubber products that contain aromatic hydrocarbons, halogens, nitrogen, and sulfur as a rubber softener. Burning them produces carcinogenic substances harmful to human health, such as dioxins and phenols. It also generates sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, halogen gases containing chlorine, and even cyanide gas or cyanide compounds, which pollute the environment, acidify the soil, and can severely damage human health. Composition of tires: 1. Main components Most modern car tires are primarily made of natural rubber or synthetic rubber. Natural rubber offers superior overall performance compared to synthetic rubber, which is why premium tires often use natural rubber. 2. Carbon black additives To achieve the required properties for tire manufacturing, various chemical materials, known as chemical additives, must be mixed into the rubber. One crucial additive is carbon black. Due to carbon's unique adsorption properties, it bonds exceptionally well with rubber molecules, enhancing the rubber's hardness, strength, and wear resistance. 3. Primary materials Since carbon black and rubber are roughly equal in quantity, the main material of car tires is essentially a composite of rubber and carbon black.
As someone who frequently deals with vehicle maintenance, I know all too well how dangerous the thick smoke released from burning tires can be. That acrid black smoke contains dozens of toxic compounds like benzene and toluene, which can immediately irritate the respiratory tract, causing coughing and choking. Once when a coworker accidentally set fire to waste tires, everyone in our workshop couldn't stop coughing—it felt like our throats had been rubbed raw with sandpaper. Even more terrifying are the strong carcinogens like benzopyrene in the smoke, which can lurk in the human body for a long time, damaging cells. I've seen trees near tire-burning sites wither and die within six months, and soil tests revealed excessive levels of heavy metals like lead. Inhaling this stuff is like committing slow suicide.
