EPA ends pursuit of rule on lead wheel weights

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency won’t regulate the manufacture, processing and distribution of lead wheel weights, citing “extremely low risk” of lead exposure and an ongoing phaseout of the equipment.

The agency says lead weights are used “to correct imbalances in the weight distribution of motor vehicle wheels,” but alternatives – including steel, zinc alloy and plastic-metal composite – are now widely available.

An advance notice of proposed rulemaking published April 3 solicited stakeholder comment on how workers and families may be exposed to lead. The agency listed several industries that may be affected, including vehicle and parts manufacturing, lead ore and zinc ore mining, and general automotive repair.

EPA says it received 128 comments related to the ANPRM, which stemmed from a settlement agreement resulting from a 2009 petition from non-governmental organizations requesting that EPA regulate lead wheel weights.

“The agency did not, however, receive any lead wheel weight exposure data during the ANPRM public comment period that it had not already considered or that would be sufficient to determine that this activity presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment and necessitate a proposed rulemaking,” EPA announced Dec. 23.

Further, a comment from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which EPA notes represents automakers that manufacture and sell about 95% of new light-duty vehicles in the United States, indicates “lead wheel weights are no longer used on new vehicles.”

Nine states ban the sale, distribution and/or use of lead wheel weights.

EPA is “committed to protecting all people from lead” and notes lead “is on its list of candidate chemical substances currently being considered for future prioritization actions” under the Toxic Substances Control Act.