Time running out for tyre makers

European tyre manufacturers have been given until the end of 2008 to phase out the use of oils, which can release carcinogens into the atmosphere, under a planned EU Directive.

The European Commission has adopted a proposal, which restricts the marketing and use of certain "extender oils" which gives tyres additional grip in wet driving conditions.

These oils can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which by all accounts can cause cancer. The PAHs remain in the tyre and can be released into the atmosphere during general wear or the event of the tyre being burned.
Europe's tyre manufacturers are now working on an alternative to the toxic oils, but they say it will be the end of 2009, before they are ready.

If the Directive is passed into law, which looks very likely, it would apply to car, truck and motorbikes tyres. Racing tyres would be exempted until January 2012.