WHY TIRES AND WHEELS NEED TO BE BALANCED WITH WHEEL WEIGHTS.

"If the public becomes more aware of the environmental dangers of
lead wheel weights and is given alternative wheel balancing choices then
there will be a decrease in lead entering the environment. It is
important that we make sure that the water we drink and the air we
breathe is free of lead." TEAM DEAD WEIGHT

Installation of Wheel-Balancing Weights
All vehicles require wheel weights to ensure tire balance 
and prevent vibration at high speeds. Wheel weights are applied to 
the rim of a vehicle’s wheel to provide a smooth ride and to prevent 
premature tire wear. Wheels are placed on a machine to determine the amount 
of weights and their location on the wheel’s rim. These balanced wheels may 
be installed on new and existing vehicles.

Affordable and effective lead-free weights are now available in the 
market. It’s time to start promoting these alternatives for use in the
United States. They work just as well as lead, as you can see today by
watching the Bridgestone-Firestone Indy Car racers. All the Indy cars 
here today are using lead-free tire weights, as you will be in the next
few years. And there is no loss of performance. 
REMARKS BY SUSAN BODINE
NATIONAL LEAD-FREE WHEEL WEIGHT INITIATIVE
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
AUGUST 29, 2008

Coated steel wheel weights are the preferred environmentally friendly 
alternative because they can be easily and economically recycled with 
the other steel components of automobiles.

Please click the pause button if you would like
to turn off the brief automatic lead wheel weight audio tutorial.


Science research team "Dead Weight" recognizes the 
need to protect the public from exposure to lead hazards. 
There are no federal regulatory controls governing use of lead 
wheel weights. Environmental health hazards associated with lead 
wheel weights are a preventable problem. People are exposed to 
lead fragments and dust when lead wheel weights fall from motor 
vehicles onto the nation's roadways and are then abraded and 
pulverized by traffic. Lead wheel weights on and alongside roadways 
can contribute to soil, surface and groundwater contamination and 
pose hazards to downstream aquatic life.
       Lead negatively affects every bodily system. While it is 
injurious to people of all ages, lead is especially harmful to 
fetuses,children, and adults of childbearing age. Effects of lead 
on a child's cognitive, behavioral, and developmental abilities may 
necessitate large expenditures of public funds for health care and 
special education. Irreversible damage to children and subsequent 
expenditures could be avoided if exposure to lead is reduced.

Mercury.pathway.into.Everglades.wildlife - 268x365 (22008 bytes)