A very well-written disclosure about tire wear and correlated salmon deaths (“New limit set for tire chemical that kills coho salmon,” The Herald, Aug. 19).
However, the knowledge of this chemical’s use has been with us since the 1970s in the manufacture of rubber products, mainly automobile tires. The chemical prevents rubber degradation to some extent. Tire wear is carried away by rain water and snow melt into creeks, streams, rivers, and eventually seas, oceans and Puget Sound. Some years ago this subject was discussed and in a letter to the Herald, unprinted by the Herald, a suggestion for the cure was made; and ignored. Here we are again, admitting this chemical kills not only salmon, but also brook trout and rainbow trout.
So, why isn’t the sport fishing industry all upset? Where have been the tribal counsels? Years ago it was revealed that there were no salmon in small creeks and streams West of I-5. Today, the culprits, represented by the U. S. tire manufacturer’s association, nod and has passed this burden of a fix to tax payers instead of mandating the tire manufacturers to remove this chemical. They knew this would happen. What have the Europeans done to fix this?
Today, this remedial cost should not be born by residents, many who do not drive, but the tire manufacturers. Only people who use tires should pay a chemical tax on tires; and they are all automobiles, trucks, busses, airplanes and construction vehicles. This tax could be passed on to operators of vehicles with no exemptions to fund this corrective fix. 50 years and nothing done?
Samuel Bess
Stanwood
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