Lead

Lead is one of the metals and organic chemicals included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of "priority chemicals." EPA's National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) focuses efforts on reducing 31 Priority Chemicals found in our nation's products and wastes by finding solutions that eliminate or substantially reduce the use of Priority Chemicals in production or on recovering or recycling these chemicals where they cannot easily be eliminated or reduced at the source. Lead, mercury, and cadmium and their compounds are known to occur frequently in hazardous wastes. These metals are also a high priority in international waste minimization efforts to which the United States has commitments. The waste minimization part of EPA's web site, http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/chemlist.htm, contains information on the known hazards of each chemical.

One opportunity for reducing lead in the environment is to purchase alternatives to the lead tire weights used to balance tires. The following information is drawn from the lead tire weight section of EPA's waste minimization web site. For additional information, visit http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/leadtire.htm.

Lead tire weights are clipped to the wheel rims of every automobile in the United States in order to balance the tires. These weights often come loose and fall off. They are either washed into storm sewers and end up in waterways or are gathered during street cleaning and placed in municipal landfills. The weights are susceptible to atmospheric corrosion. When placed in acidic conditions, such as those found in municipal landfills, they lead is solubolized and can contaminate ground water. Currently, there are no regulatory controls governing the use of lead tire weights.

Safe Alternatives for Lead Tire Weights

The solution to this problem is to provide safe alternatives for lead in tire weights. Some currently available alternatives are tin, tungsten, and ZAMAC (an alloy of zinc, aluminum and copper). The National Waste Minimization Program is developing a voluntary program that will work with wheel weight manufacturers on potential lead substitutes, coordinate with organizations already engaged in this effort, and involve other stakeholders (retailers, automobile manufacturers, and trade associations), in order to reduce the potential impact of lead tire weights on human health and the environment. The two efforts to find alternatives are Lead Free Wheels and Clean Car Campaign.