In vitro human oral bioaccessibility assessment of hazardous chemicals, including N, N'-substituted-p-phenylenediamines, coming from recycled tire crumb rubber.

Tires, apart from being formed by rubber and filling materials, contain organic compounds added to make them resistant and durable. The widely use of recycled tire crumb rubber (RTCR), main product of the shredding process of end-of-life tires, can cause human exposure to these chemicals due to its use in synthetic football fields and kid's playgrounds. In 2023, the European Commission banned the use of recycled tire crumb rubber in synthetic fields, giving eight years to replace the used material.

Recycled tire rubber materials in the spotlight. Determination of hazardous and lethal substances.

One way of recycling end-of-life tires is by shredding them to obtain crumb rubber, a microplastic material (<0.5 mm), used as infill in artificial turf sports fields or as playground flooring. There is emerging concern about the health and environmental consequences that this type of surfaces can cause.