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Lead isn't dead, but steel is the real deal
From www.tirebusiness.com -
The majority of wheel weights are still made of lead. That won’t last
forever, however. Environmental concerns are changing the landscape of this
once unchanging and seemingly unalterable market because lead is a highly toxic
chemical targeted for reduction by the Environmental Protection Agency. Read
more...
Industry's still moving to get lead out of wheel weights
From www.moderntiredealer.com -
WASHINGTON-The tire distribution business may not be hurrying to get the lead
out of wheel balancing weights, but it definitely is moving in that direction.
BADA, the wheel weight manufacturing division of La Vergne, Tenn.-based Hennessy
Industries Inc., has launched a Web site, www.steelwheelweights.com,
that touts the environmental benefits of steel wheel weights in general and
BADA's steel weights in particular. Read
more...
Lead wheel weights featured in Environment Science and
Technology
Tires and lead: A weighty issue, Science News - August 2,
2006
Lead has long been the material of choice in weights used to
balance vehicle wheels, but a new analysis shows how often these weights
fall off, posing potential risks to human and environmental health.
Tires crunch against street curbs or come to a screeching halt when
drivers stop or swerve suddenly. In the process, one or more of the
weights clipped to the wheels to balance the tires - 2.5 oz/car wheel on
average - may get thrown off onto the roadway. In 2003 alone, 2000 t of
lead may have been lost from vehicles in this fashion, according to
estimates released in May by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
European Union Holds Firm On Lead Weight Phase-Out
Timeline
Committee for the Adaptation to Scientific and
Technical Progress of EC Legislation on Waste recently rejected the
efforts of some parts of the European Tire Industry to delay the July
2005 lead wheel phase-out deadline in Europe. Most major wheel weight
producers in Europe are 100% lead-free for weights for vehicle under
3,500 kilgrams. Download record of
decision (pdf) May 17, 2005
Environmentalists Move to Ban
Major Automotive Lead Use
Environmentalists have asked EPA to
ban the sales of one off the largest unregulated sources of lead to the
environment, automotive wheel balancing weights.
May 17, 2005
Download Ecology Center Toxic Substance Control Act Citizens Petition
Main St. Tire and Auto
Washington State Tire Retailer to
Phase-Out Lead Wheel Weights
First tire dealer on West Coast to
offer environmentally friendly wheel balancing
April 19, 2005
A lighter load: Minn. phases out lead wheel weights in Automotive News/Waste News, April 19, 2004
Automakers Divided Over Lead Wheel Weights by the Great Lakes Radio Consurtium, April 12, 2004
Ecology Center Rolls Out "Lead-Free Wheels Project" in From the Ground Up April, 2004
Ann Arbor Announces Program to Phase-Out Lead Wheel Weights on City Vehicles
Minnesota Announces Program to Phase-Out Lead Wheel Weights on State Vehicles
Putting the Brakes on Lead Wheel Weights by the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, March 24
Ecology Center to Demonstrate Safer Substitutes for Major Auto Lead Use in From the Ground Up