jh45gun
05-29-2009, 04:11 PM
Just saw this at an other forum if this is a repeat sorry.
Environmental, Health Groups Ask EPA To Ban Manufacture of Lead Wheel Weights
A dozen environmental and public health organizations petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency May 28 to ban the manufacture and sale of lead wheel weights, despite a denial of a similar petition four years ago.
The petition asked EPA to establish regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2620) prohibiting the manufacture, processing, and distribution of the weights because they pose a “significant threat” to human health. EPA denied a similar petition by the Ecology Center in 2005, saying there were not enough data available to support the ban. Oliver Bernstein, spokesman with petition signatory the Sierra Club, told BNA May 28 that the environmental groups hope the new administration will be more receptive to the request. He also said subsequent studies have verified the magnitude of the problem and this petition narrows the request. “We did not ask EPA to set up regulations for disposal of the wheel weights, since that is more in the purview of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.”
In 2008, the agency launched a voluntary program to reduce the use of lead in wheel weights by December 2011. The National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative (NLFWWI) had 40 charter members and four subsequent members, but in its petition, the Ecology Center said the initiative does not go far enough (169 DEN A-1, 9/2/08).
“While commitment of major retailers has an impact, the tire repair and replacement market is diversified with hundreds of thousands of service stations across the country,” the group wrote in the petition. “Petitioners estimate that not more than one-third of the lead wheel weight market would potentially be changed to lead-free due to the NLFWWI.”
Bernstein also said that with the voluntary effort, EPA has created a situation where three of the four producers have agreed to shift away from lead wheel weights.
“The remaining one will now be able to fill the gap created in the market,” he said, adding that Chinese imports could also become a problem.
By Charlotte E. Tucker
More information on the environmental groups' petition is available at http://www.leadfreewheels.org/.
Environmental, Health Groups Ask EPA To Ban Manufacture of Lead Wheel Weights
A dozen environmental and public health organizations petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency May 28 to ban the manufacture and sale of lead wheel weights, despite a denial of a similar petition four years ago.
The petition asked EPA to establish regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2620) prohibiting the manufacture, processing, and distribution of the weights because they pose a “significant threat” to human health. EPA denied a similar petition by the Ecology Center in 2005, saying there were not enough data available to support the ban. Oliver Bernstein, spokesman with petition signatory the Sierra Club, told BNA May 28 that the environmental groups hope the new administration will be more receptive to the request. He also said subsequent studies have verified the magnitude of the problem and this petition narrows the request. “We did not ask EPA to set up regulations for disposal of the wheel weights, since that is more in the purview of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.”
In 2008, the agency launched a voluntary program to reduce the use of lead in wheel weights by December 2011. The National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative (NLFWWI) had 40 charter members and four subsequent members, but in its petition, the Ecology Center said the initiative does not go far enough (169 DEN A-1, 9/2/08).
“While commitment of major retailers has an impact, the tire repair and replacement market is diversified with hundreds of thousands of service stations across the country,” the group wrote in the petition. “Petitioners estimate that not more than one-third of the lead wheel weight market would potentially be changed to lead-free due to the NLFWWI.”
Bernstein also said that with the voluntary effort, EPA has created a situation where three of the four producers have agreed to shift away from lead wheel weights.
“The remaining one will now be able to fill the gap created in the market,” he said, adding that Chinese imports could also become a problem.
By Charlotte E. Tucker
More information on the environmental groups' petition is available at http://www.leadfreewheels.org/.