Team Dead Weight causing nationwide change

Rob Daniel
Iowa City Press-Citizen

WEST BRANCH — In May, a team of West Branch Middle School seventh-graders won the grand prize in the Siemens We Can Change the World contest for their project on lead wheel weights.

Since then, their project and lobbying efforts have led them to a presentation at the United Nations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency beginning to draft rules to ban the tire additions.

Last year, then-seventh-graders Jathan Kron, Justin Roth and Brennan Nelson, also known as “Team Dead Weight,” studied the use and environmental effect of lead wheel weights, which are used to balance tires. After learning how much lead the weights could dump into a water source, the student lobbied the West Branch city government to end its use of the weights on city vehicles and convinced area state lawmakers to introduce a bill to end their use on state vehicles. They subsequently entered their project in the Siemens Foundation’s contest, which encouraged students to cause environmental change in their communities, according to a news release.

After winning the grand prize, which included a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond, an appearance on the Planet Green cable network and a chance to present their project before a panel of environmental experts, they were invited to tour Boston, considered one of the “greenest” cities in the country, Jathan said. They then were invited by Siemens on Aug. 12 to New York to present their findings at the United Nations’ International Youth Day.

“They could not present their project in 48 seconds (on Planet Green), so they got a chance (to do the full presentation),” said Bill Kron, Jathan’s father.

Their project is leading to even bigger changes at the legislative level across the country. Along with the EPA’s moves to ban the lead wheel weights, the Center for Environmental Health in California has asked for the students’ photo of steel and lead wheel weights in water and other parts of their research to present to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Since we worked so hard, people have been able to use our research to make laws,” Justin, 13, said. “Policy makers need to be educated.”

Their efforts also could lead to a partial ban of the lead wheel weights in Iowa. Reps. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton, Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, and Nate Willems, D-Lisbon, introduced bills during last year’s session to ban them on state vehicles. None were passed into law, but Kaufmann said he expected more movement on the bill in 2010.

“The kids are doing exactly what they need to,” Kaufmann said. “I think you’ll see a phase-out in the state fleet.”

The students also believed that their work, including lobbying in Des Moines, will lead to new laws.

“I never expected it would go so far,” Jathan, 13, said. “I thought it would take more time to get it in their heads.”