Getting the Lead Out

Until recently, almost all wheel weights were made of lead, the same substance that was banned in paint and gasoline in the U.S. in the 1970s. Lead is identified by the EPA as a primary drinking water and groundwater contaminant, and is one of 31 priority chemicals targeted for reduction by the EPA.  

As a result, a worldwide movement away from lead wheel weights is in full swing. Lead wheel weights were banned by the European Union in 2005 and are being phased out in Japan and Korea. Many major manufacturers and retailers have voluntarily eliminated the use of lead weights.

In addition, many states and municipalities have enacted or are in the process of enacting their own bans on the sale and/or installation of lead weights, including California, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Vermont and Washington, and cities such as Ann Arbor, Mich., and Blacksburg, Va.

Steel Emerges as Top Alternative

Steel has emerged as the most effective and most widely agreed-upon alternative to lead in the production of wheel weights. Steel poses none of the environmental risks associated with lead, with no compromise on quality. The other proposed alternative to lead, zinc, is problematic because it is considered a secondary contaminant in drinking water. The state of Maine, for example, has declared it will not “promote the use of zinc wheel weights since zinc has wildlife toxicity concerns.” The state of Washington's Department of Ecology has also recently cited steel as its preferred alternative to lead wheel weights. Similarly, the U.S. Postal Service recently transitioned its entire fleet of vehicles in California and Hawaii from lead to steel, choosing steel over zinc due to zinc’s classification as a groundwater and drinking water contaminant.