When measured by volume of emission, tyre, brake and road wear from vehicles is the second largest contributor to microplastic pollution worldwide. The tyres on your car are made from a complex blend of different materials and chemicals including several types of plastic in addition to their rubber base. As vehicles are driven, the friction, pressure and heat caused from the tyres rubbing against the road and the brakes rubbing against the wheels results in tiny pieces of plastic material known as microplastics to be shed on to the road surface and accumulate as a dust. If not blown into the air, rain washes the tyre-created road dust into drains and eventually oceans where it can be eaten by filter feeders such as mussels as well as fish, eventually entering the human food chain.
— source nzherald.co.nz | 20 Jul, 2019