Ride-On Tire Sealant Serves as Effective Alternative to Lead Based Wheel Weights Banned in California

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- According to data gathered by the U.S. Geological Survey, lead wheel weights used for tire balancing are responsible for approximately 500,000 pounds of lead pollution in California every year. On a national level, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 1.6 million pounds of lead are abandoned on U.S. roadways from lead weights falling off wheels. By being washed into storm drains that connect to creeks, rivers, and ultimately the ocean, lead wheel weights are a serious contributor to lead pollution and contamination of the aquatic food web. Lead wheel weights, which are malleable in comparison to other metal alloys, often fall off of motorcycles, cars, and trucks, and get run over by other vehicles on the road creating lead dust and contaminating the air. Since lead is highly toxic and can easily contaminate drinking water, it poses a very real health hazard to most organic life forms. Lead has not only been linked to neurological problems in children, but can also inhibit the growth processes in plants and marine algae and alter blood chemistry in fish, amphibians, and birds.