Getting the lead out
EPA launches initiative to stop use of lead wheel weightsBy JANE NORDBERG, DMG Writer
Article Photos
HANCOCK - Every time you hit a pothole, you could be contaminating the environment.
So says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has instituted a new initiative against the use of lead wheel weights in tires.
The National Lead Free Wheel Weight Initiative encourages the transition away from the use of lead for wheel weights by Dec. 31, 2011.
Wheel weights are clipped to the rims of every automobile wheel in the U.S. in order to balance the tires. These weights often come loose and fall off when a vehicle comes to a sharp sudden stop, or when it hits a pothole. The weights then are washed into storm sewers or are gathered during street cleaning and placed in municipal landfills, where they are susceptible to atmospheric corrosion.
The NLFWWI encourages those engaged in the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of wheel weights to participate in a voluntary effort to accelerate the transition to lead alternatives. Some of those alternatives include steel, zinc and a composite material.
According to an EPA press release, about 50 million pounds of lead annually are used for wheel weights in cars and light trucks worldwide. While 75 percent of that is recycled by secondary lead smelters, another 25 percent (12.5 million pounds per year) is unmanaged.
Tire companies, big box retailers and other partners have pledged to reduce or eliminate their use of lead wheel weights, according to the EPA.
Clark Korpela, owner of Fine Line Tire in Hancock, said although he needed to do more research on the new initiative, he is encouraged by the progress being made to find alternatives.
"As soon as the alternative weights are available and into the wholesale system, we'll start using them," Korpela said. "It's a good idea to get away from lead, and it's going to be phased out, anyway."
Lead is a highly toxic element that has been designated as one of 31 priority chemicals targeted for reduction by the U.S. EPA. Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems.
For more information on the National Lead Free Wheel Weight Initiative, visit epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/nlfwwi.htm
Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com.
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Randy1
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10-10-08 2:23 PM
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Another case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing? Don't use lead wheel weights but keep importing those lead contaminated products from China.
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