The EPA decides against regulating lead wheel weights.

On December 20, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted on their website that “it will not initiate a proposed rulemaking addressing the manufacture, processing, or distribution in commerce of lead for wheel-balancing weights (“lead wheel weights”) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).”  This ruling comes over 15 years after the petition to regulate lead wheel weights was brought by the Ecology Center in May of 2009.

The 2009 Petition Against Lead Wheel Weights

The petition highlighted concerns of the "significant threat" of lead exposure to children caused by the use of lead wheel weights on vehicles. The concern outlined that lead wheel weights that separate from vehicle wheels or are not disposed of properly may be picked up by children or worn down into fine particles by traffic. Those particles can then be released into the air, migrate to nearby communities or homes, and increase lead exposure to children through ingestion of these particles in the soil or dust.

The EPA’s Findings

The EPA's technical analysis, which incorporated conservative assumptions and public input from an April 2024 advance notice of proposed rulemaking, has clarified the risks associated with lead wheel weights. Despite prior concerns, their review determined that risks to children are significantly lower than suggested in the 2009 petition. The EPA estimates that dust from lead wheel weights constitutes a minimal fraction of a child’s overall residential lead exposure, even for homes near busy roads.

States With Lead Wheel Weight Bans

There are currently nine states in the USA as well as Canada that have laws that prohibit the use of lead wheel weights, they include California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Washington. Vermont prohibits the use of lead wheel weights on state-owned and new vehicle sales only. Additional states have a previously proposed law that has not yet been enacted. For more information, please refer to the Lead Wheel Weight Laws & Penalties document that our valued partners at Wegmann Automotive compiled.

Alternatives to Lead Wheel Weights

While lead wheel weights are still widely used in some states, there are high-quality alternatives in the marketplace, including steel, zinc and lead-free composite materials for clip-on and adhesive wheel weights. If you're unsure which material is best for your needs, don't hesitate to reach out to us at 1-800-621-1563. Our trained, in-house customer service team is here to help, Monday through Friday.

Sources:
EPA.Gov
Ecology Center 2009 Petition
Wegmann-Automotive.com/us