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ABSTRACT Two to three billion (2-3 x109) scrap tires are in landfills and stockpiles across the United States, and approximately one scrap tire per person is generated every year. Scrap tires represent both a disposal problem and a resource opportunity (e.g., as a fuel and in other applications). Of the many potential negative environmental and health impacts normally associated with scrap tire piles, the present study focuses on (1) examining air emissions related to open tire fires and their potential health impacts, and (2) reporting on emissions data from well designed combustors that have used tires as a fuel. Air emissions from two types of scrap tire combustion are addressed: uncontrolled and controlled. Uncontrolled sources are open tire fires, which produce many unhealthful products of incomplete combustion and release them directly into the atmosphere. Controlled combustion sources (combustors) include boilers and kilns specifically designed for efficient combustion of solid fuel. Very little data exist for devices that are not well-designed and use scrap tires for fuel. These sources include fireplaces, wood stoves, small kilns, small incinerators, or any device with poor combustion characteristics. Air emissions from these types of devices are likely between that of open burning and a combustor. However, there is serious concern that the emissions are much more similar to those of an open tire fire than a combustor. Open tire fires are discussed. Data from a laboratory test program on uncontrolled burning of tire pieces and ambient monitoring at open tire fires are presented and the emissions are characterized. Mutagenic emission data from open burning of scrap tires are compared to mutagenic data for other fuels from both controlled and uncontrolled combustion. A list of 34 target compounds representing the highest potential for health impacts from open tire fires is presented. The list can be used to design an air monitoring plan in order to evaluate the potential for health risks in future events. Methods for preventing and managing tire fires are reviewed. Recommendations are presented for storage site design, civilian evacuation, and fire suppression tactics. Air emissions data from the use of tires as fuel are discussed. The results of a laboratory test program on controlled burning of tire-derived fuel (TDF) in a Rotary Kiln Incinerator Simulator (RKIS) are presented. Based on the results of the RKIS test program, it was concluded that, with the exception of zinc emissions, potential emissions from TDF are not expected to be very much different than from other conventional fossil fuels, as long as combustion occurs in a well-designed, well-operated, and well-maintained combustion device. ii