Team Dead Weight Attends January 3 2009 West Branch Environmental Summit

"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

Legislators’ attention turns toward Energy Summit
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · January 07, 2009

Their team names sound like rock bands — DeadWeight, Green Man Group and Archy and the Flatfooters, etc. — but the West Branch Middle School pupils sounded like scientists Saturday at the second annual Energy and Environment Summit.

Their featured guests, from whom they hope to cull some support to further seven project goals, included the mayor, a school board member, a representative of the Iowa Department of Transportation and five state legislators.

State Reps. Jeff Kaufmann (R-Wilton) and Nate Willems (D-Mount Vernon) and state Sens. Bob Dvorsky (D-Coralville), James Hahn (R-Muscatine) and Vid Johnson (R-Ocheyedan) joined a crowd of more than 60 to listen to the findings of the Science Club teams and hear their proposals.

The projects range from creating a deposit for plastic bottles similar to the 5-cent deposit on aluminum cans, banning plastic grocery bags and lead wheel weights, increasing awareness of the effects of long-term use of flip-flops and the dangers of vehicle backovers, to improving the memory and range of motion of nursing home residents.

Here is a rundown of the teams and their projects:

• DeadWeight: Jathan Kron, Justin Roth, Brennan Nelson, Andrea Mundell. Their project focuses on lead wheel weights used to balance vehicle tires. The team reported that as many as 2.5 million waterfowl die each year from eating food tainted with lead. Some 65,000 tons of lead are in use in the United States. Though lead is easier to mold, aluminum, steel and copper are all possible alternatives. Answering a question from Kaufmann, the team said that an estimated 1,950 tons of lead fall off vehicle wheels a year. “And that’s the low number,” Roth said.

• Preventers: Madison Lynch, Mason Hays, Austin Perks, Rachel Tigrett. Their project looks into safer practices for drivers to avoid accidentally backing over children. They discovered the “bye-bye syndrome,” where children running out to wave to parents often are accidentally run over.

• Wii-Habilitators: Emily Corr, Kara Rex, Rachel Lightstone, Ryan O’Neil. These pupils took the new Wii game system to Crestview Nursing Home and Rehabilitation to see if residents could improve their memory and range of motion with various games. (See the Dec. 18 issue of the West Branch Times for the full story.)

• Green Man Group: Adam O’Neil, Sam McCrory, Bradley Arp, Mason Taylor. These four are looking for ways to encourage consumers to use cloth grocery bags and see if the city will ban the use of plastic grocery bags due to their impact on the environment. Nationwide, some 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce plastic grocery bags and only 5 percent are recycled. Answering a question from Kaufmann, the team reported that San Francisco, China and even Rwanda have banned plastic grocery bags.

• Archy and the Flatfooters: Sarah Fischer, Ann Owen, Lexi Luneckas. Flip flops may be popular footwear, but these pupils found that long-term use can cause foot problems. Hahn asked for a copy of their findings -- and not just for legislative interests. “I need to get that to my granddaughter,” he smiled. (See the Dec. 24 issue of the West Branch Times for the full story.)

• Bottle Rockets: Lucas Lamont, Sam Aspelmeier, Travis Wolf, Austin Black. Their project looks at the impact of plastic bottles on the environment and encourages the state to include them in the can recycling program. Plastic bottles, they said, take about 700 years to decompose.

• Mercury thermostat recycling: Justin Roth, Kara Rex, Nathan Juels, Brennan Nelson, Jathan Kron, Emily Corr, Andrea Mundell, Ryan O’Neil, Sarah Fischer, Ann Owen. Trying to keep more mercury out of the environment, this project focuses on recycling the mercury found in common household thermostats. One of the Science Club’s older projects, the pupils found that a lot of mercury finds it way to the Florida Everglades, infecting several types of fish as well as the Florida panther.

Hector Ibarra, who leads the Science Club, asked the legislators to imagine themselves as middle school pupils trying to work these projects and present them to an audience, especially state leaders.

Mayor Sandy Hatfield commended Ibarra for leading the club in their various endeavors.

“I was very, very impressed,” she said Monday at the City Council meeting.

Ibarra also thanked the parents who helped the pupils gather and get around. Many of the projects involved a lot of driving and phone calls to conduct surveys and meet experts.

Team Dead Weight Suggests A Community Model To Phase In Lead Free Wheel Weights.

Our project has impacted and made a difference in our community! There has been an increase in the awareness of the hazards of lead wheel weights. Employees of local tire service centers are aware of potential health hazards when installing lead wheel weights. Dodge Street Tire announced, “We care about the environment! That is why we are the first in town to offer steel wheel weights”. The police chief, mayor, and school superintendent have mandated phasing out lead wheel weights on police, city, and school vehicles. State legislators have introduced three bills to phase out the lead in wheel weights.

All communities benefit if lead in wheel weights is phased out. If a safe substance is used in wheel weights, lead is eliminated from entering the environment. There is a solution to the problem. Replicating our model in other communities can be accomplished: 1) through surveys, brochures and presentations to increase awareness of citizens, policy makers, and tire service owners about the hazards of lead wheel weights and the alternative of installing lead free wheel weights; 2) by crafting bills to phase out the installation of lead wheel weights; and 3) by working with legislators, the DNR, and environmental committees to encourage them to support the bills to become law.

Ultimately, our goal is to eliminate the lead in wheel weights. To accomplish this, we recommend replication by communities that share our vision. Our website, <www.leadzero.org>, informs the public about the hazards of lead wheel weights. For communities to proceed with the project, we recommend conducting research to learn of health problems associated with lead wheel weights. Success includes the need to: 1) establish partnerships with research facilities to complete lead solubility testing; 2) create educational materials to improve community awareness; 3) work cooperatively with community decision makers to phase out lead wheel weights on city vehicles; 4) contact state policy makers to craft a bill to present to legislative committees; and 5) know a significant difference can be made in the community.

We began working on our issue in August. The time required depends on: 1) establishing partnerships with scientists, tire centers, and policy makers; 2) making presentations to community citizens; 3) contacting legislators; and 4) once the legislative process begins, contacting policy makers. Commitment, dedication, and persistence are key components for success. Currently, California is the only state to take action phasing out the lead in wheel weights. Representative Kaufmann tells us that passage of our bill looks good. Our goal is to make Iowa a leader in addressing environmental issues. Change is coming to America. Policy makers are supportive. The time is right to phase out the use of lead in wheel weights!


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)