Tire wear particles in the Rhine river: How microplastics are changing river ecology

The tiny particles of various sizes from new and old car and truck tires did not turn out to be neutral surfaces on which bacteria colonize. Rather, they altered the composition of the biofilms—the bacterial layers that cover river stones, sediments and even artificial materials. These findings are published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

source https://phys.org/news/2025-09-particles-rhine-river-microplastics-ecology.html