California: No more lead-weights after 2009
Here on AutoblogGreen, when we think of lead's use in our automobiles, the first application which comes to mind is the lead-acid car battery, which we would love to see phased out of use by the more efficient, smaller and more energy-dense nickel metal hydride and lithium ion batteries. After batteries, we may remember a time when leaded gasoline was pumped into our fuel tanks. Still, there are other sources of lead in or on your car, including those little weights which help balance out your wheels. The European Union banned the use of lead weights back in 2005, but the practice of using the heavy metal for balancing is still prevalent in the United States. Not for long, though, as the State of California has reached an agreement with Chrysler and the three largest manufacturers of wheel weights to begin phasing them out. The legal agreement stipulates that 2009 will be the final year that they are installed at all. Considering the statistics as laid out in the press release pasted after the break, we wouldn't be surprised to see this action taken up in other States sooner rather than later.[Source: Lead-Free Wheels]
Press Release:
Chrysler, Wheel Weight Makers Agree to Eliminate Lead
Companies Forced to Reformulate Products for the California Market Due to Water Pollution Threat from Lead-based Wheel Weights
Oakland, CA - The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) today announced it has reached a legal agreement with Chrysler and the three largest producers of automobile wheel bearing weights, requiring the companies to end the use of leaded wheel weights in California by the end of 2009. The landmark agreement marks the first-ever legally binding statewide rule phasing out lead in wheel weights in the U.S., and will end the annual release of 500,000 pounds of lead into the environment in California, which occurs when wheel weights break off of automobile wheels.
Last August, CEH launched its legal action against Chrysler, Perfect Equipment, Inc, Hennessey Industries, and Plombco Inc., due to the threat to the state's drinking water from wheel weights that fall from cars and trucks. "Wheel weights have been identified as the largest new route of lead releases into the environment," said Michael Green, Executive Director of CEH. "By moving the industry away from leaded wheel weights, we are helping to keep the lead out of our kids' drinking water."
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), about 65,000 tons of lead wheel weights are in use on cars and trucks in the U.S., and it is estimated that at least 3% of wheel weights fall off of cars and trucks. USGS states that the discarded wheel weights "drop to the road surface where they become abraded by vehicle traffic, eventually becoming dissipated into the environment by wind and storm water."
A peer-reviewed study in 2000 found that lead pollution from wheel weights "is continuous, significant, and widespread, and is potentially a major source of human lead exposure." The study noted that the highest rate of lead deposition likely occurs in urban areas, posing a significant lead poisoning threat to poor and minority populations that are already disproportionately impacted by other sources of lead.
While Chrysler had lagged behind most car makers in switching to non-leaded wheel weights for their new cars, Chrysler is now quickly phasing out the use of lead as a result of CEH's action. In addition, aftermarket repair shops still often use leaded weights when they balance auto wheels and/or replace tires. Just this month, a Hennessey spokesperson told Tire Business that leaded wheel weights are still "the major part of our wheel weight business." This will no longer be the case in California due to CEH's efforts.
The Ecology Center, based in Michigan, has worked for several years to expose the problem of lead wheel weights and advocate for alternatives, while running the web site www.leadfreewheels.org . "This settlement represents the beginning of the end for lead wheel balancing weights in the U.S.," said Jeff Gearhart, Research Director at the Ecology Center. "We fully expect dozens of states to follow California's leadership and ban the use of lead wheel weights."
In 2005, the Ecology Center petitioned EPA under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), calling for a federal ban on lead wheel weights. Lead wheel weights have been banned in the EU since July 2005, and Japan and Korea are phasing them out. Yet EPA has refused to enact a ban, instead relying on voluntary industry action. "It is simply scandalous that three years after the rest of the world banned toxic lead weights, the U.S. continues to allow their use," said Gearhart. "It's time fix our failed regulatory system." A Hennessey spokesman recently stated that due to the price difference between lead and safer alternatives, "[I]t will be hard to change the market [to lead-free wheel weights] without legislation."
Washington, Maine and Massachusetts have considered such legislation, but the CEH settlement creates the first binding statewide ban on shipments from the major wheel weight suppliers. Some municipalities have eliminated lead wheel weights on their local fleets, and the U.S. Air Force and Postal Service have taken action to eliminate lead wheel weights from their fleets.
Under today's agreement, Plombco will end shipments of leaded wheel weights into California by the end of this year; Hennessey and Perfect Equipment agreed to end shipments by the end of 2009. Chrysler agreed to eliminate its use of leaded wheel weights on 55% of its automobiles by the end of this month and to fully eliminate lead in wheel weights on cars intended for sale in California by July 31, 2009.
CEH has a ten-year track record of using California law to stop toxic water and air emissions and to protect children from hidden lead risks in consumer products, including vinyl baby bibs, lunchboxes, baby powders, children's medicines, imported candies, and metal and vinyl jewelry.
The Ecology Center is a regional environmental organization which works to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles. For more information on the Ecology Center and the issue of lead-free wheel weights, visit www.ecocenter.org and www.leadfreewheels.org.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Z 9:22AM (8/22/2008)
"we would love to see phased out of use by the more efficient, smaller and more energy-dense nickel metal hydride and lithium ion batteries."
First question is who is 'we'?
Second, that seems rather misinformed. In a non-hybrid drive car using a NiMH or Li-Ion battery as a starter is really not that practicle--you would not save much weight when you factor in the kind of power you need to start a car.
Lead acid batteries for cars are not that heavy, and are almost completely recycled. With technologies like Firefly Energy that could reduce the weight and increase the life of lead acid batteries, lead acid will continue to make sense for non-hybrid drive vehicles for the foreseeable future.
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Bill 11:34AM (8/22/2008)
What material will be used instead of the lead to balance wheels?
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slk23 1:00PM (8/22/2008)
Steel or zinc alloy. See:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-fi-wheels21-2008aug21,0,3213705.story
"Lead wheel weights have been under attack for several years by environmentalists. They were banned by the European Union in 2005 and are being phased out in Japan and South Korea. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring a voluntary initiative to reduce the use of lead wheel weights but has not banned them.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and other big tire makers are phasing them out, as are all the major automakers.
"For environmental reasons, this is the direction the industry is going," said a spokesman for Goodyear, which has 83 company-owned tire stores in California."
Mike Z 1:05PM (8/22/2008)
I would suggest depleted Uranium
ECD4ME 11:51AM (8/22/2008)
you're right. Why use Nimh or Lion at a much higher cost? there would be no advantage gained and it would only increase the cost of the car. I wonder about the level of knowledge of some of these writers. Does he know the battery set in the coming Volt cost at least 10,000 dollars? They may have to lease the batteries separately to get the selling price of the car within reach. Nimh are much less than Lion but still too expensive for use as a starter battery. They will probably find their niche in mild hybrids due to the lower costs than Lion. ECD invented Nimh and owns a lot of the patents. They are developing a newer generation that will offer much improved performance over the present tech. They appear to have flopped as manufacturers though.
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 3:49PM (8/22/2008)
The more liIon and nimh batteries are produced and used, the less they will cost.
What do you mean they don't weight that much? Compared to what? A nimh starter battery would be waaay lighter.
Sure, the battery for the Volt costs plenty, but that's because it needs to sustain high power for a long time. A starter battery needs high power for a short period of time. What's more, cost is surely only one factor to consider...
kballs 1:06PM (8/22/2008)
I guess the tire manufacturers (especially of off-road and truck tires) will really have to advance their technology so their tires can be balanced by lighter weights using other materials.
The truth is, you don't suck on your rims, so the lead isn't harming you... the issue is they fall off [harming the pristine roadside environment which contains nothing nearly as toxic as lead such as oil, antifreeze, etc.]. Now if the tire shops would just use the proper kind of clips for the proper wheels, the weights would stay on until you get the next set of tires! Several times I had idiot techs at tire shops think I had steel (actually aluminum) wheels so used the wrong clips and the weights flew off within 20 miles.
On the issue of lead, everyone is scared of it, and doesn't even realize it's still in many of our products like cosmetics, Revlon lipstick, cheap products from China of all types (extension chords, tools, toys, plastic anything), etc. that are doing far more harm to everyone.
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mroverlord 6:02PM (8/25/2008)
Good..Less lead used in wheel weights means more lead available to drive down bullet costs. Target shooting is getting expensive these days!!!
Seriously though....lead is the new Asbetos. The EPA and environmentalists needed something new to go after since asbestos was basically a dead horse.Gotta justify that gov't budget.
At least there isn't some big battle about it...hopefully very little tax money is being wasted in stupid litigation.
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Mark 42 5:37PM (2/04/2009)
Where do you suppose we get lead?
And if we stop using lead, what will happen to all of the lead we don't get anymore?
When wheel weights come off, they don't turn into powder and pollute...
they just sit there until someone picks them up.
I collect the used weights to melt down for other purposes (like balancing
model airplanes, pinewood derby cars, and making bullets).
This is another fine example of how environmentalists go to extremes and end up discreditting themselves in the long run.
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Tom 6:57PM (2/16/2009)
The solution is here Lead free - 3M.COM/Wheelweights