Burning used tires poses health problems

Don’t burn used tires as part of your New Year’s Eve revelry because smoke coming from the burning rubber is toxic, environmentalists and scientists warn.

Instead, use the old tires for other purposes. For instance, they are among the materials utilized in urban agriculture, as recommended by the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

If you do not have enough space, especially if you live in congested cities and urban centers, put soil in it and, presto, you have a "backyard garden."

It has also been reported that student-inventors of Feati University have attested to the advantage of using tire scraps as additives to asphalt to make the road surface more durable.

Burning tires pose hazards not only to human health but also to motorists, especially if a flaming tire is placed in the middle of a road.

As the Eco Waste Coalition once warned: "Burning unwanted tires releases poisonous substances that can cause or aggravate respiratory ailments, nerve disorders, reproductive malfunctions, and various cancers."

"Known human carcinogens such as benzene, butadiene, benzapyrene, and dioxin are some of the more toxic chemical compounds that are discharged from burning tires," it added.

According to the EWC, studies showed that these emissions are highly mutagenic or capable of damaging genes or causing genetic changes.

"In addition to airborne releases, burning used tires generates toxic liquid or pyrolytic oil and ash residues that can contaminate the soil, surface water, and groundwater."

"To prevent exposure to these hazards, one must not burn tires, and avoid the smoke plume, burn ash or debris and liquid runoff from burning tires to prevent inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact."