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"Ecology Center Rolls Out Lead-Free Wheels Project"

March/April Issue, 2004

The Ecology Center’s “Lead-Free Wheels Project” has officially launched its national campaign to phase out the use of lead wheel-balancing weights by July 2005. The project gained important partners recently when the City of Ann Arbor and the State of Minnesota became the nation’s first city and state, respectively, to begin replacing lead weights with zinc and iron ones in their vehicle fleets.

Lead wheel weights have been used worldwide for years to balance vehicle tires for smoother rides and longer tire wear. The problem is that recent studies have documented that on average 13% of wheel weights fall off of vehicles during driving. Individually they weigh only one ounce on average, but that equates to an estimated 66 tons of lead being deposited on roadways each year in Michigan.

Once these weights are deposited onto roadways they are rapidly abraded by road traffic and turned into fine lead dust particles that contaminate ground surfaces, storm water, and groundwater. Scientific studies show that long-term exposure to even tiny amounts of lead can cause brain damage, kidney damage, hearing impairment, and learning and behavioral problems in children.

Installing non-lead wheel weights on replacement tires, program organizers say, can eliminate several thousand of kilograms of lead from commerce and potential release to the environment.

In addition to public vehicle fleets, the Lead-Free Wheels Project is targeting independent tire dealers, full service repair shops, and service stations. For now, organizers hope programs like those in Ann Arbor and Minnesota will serve as models and springboards to more partnerships across the state and nation.

“This is a great example of easy, cost-effective action that can have great environmental benefits,” said Matt Naud, City of Ann Arbor Environmental Director. “We hope that automakers and tire retailers will follow our leadership and work to phase out this use of lead on all vehicles.”

Lead-Free Wheels is just part of the Ecology Center’s work to hold automakers accountable for their vehicle design and manufacturing decisions. Lead is one of many toxic materials the Ecology Center’s Clean Car Campaign is working to phase out in automobiles (see article on The Partnership for Mercury-Free Vehicles). The European Union has already banned the use of lead wheel weights, effective July 2005.

For more information visit www.leadfreewheels.org.

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