Determining lead wheel weight solubility under various 
conditions enhances our understanding of how hazardous lead is 
released into the environment. Because the accidental deposition of 
lead wheel weights is occurring on our nations highways, lead mobility
will be increased due to the formation of water soluble toxic lead compounds. 
This is important for everyone to know because discarded and road 
deposited lead wheel weights can end up in a landfill or are subject 
to acid rain. Acetic acid producing bacteria are present throughout the 
world and thrive in landfills. Bacterias convert the sugars present in
landfill garbage to acetic acid. As our UIHL test 1-10 results 
suggest, acetic acid is very corrosive in the presence of wheel weight
lead and will potentially convert lead to highly toxic and water 
soluble lead acetate and other lead compounds. (http://publications.
lib.chalmers.se/cpl/record/index.xsql?pubid=9662
Influence of acetic acid vapor on the atmospheric corrosion of lead)
*EPA defines TCLP as Toxic Characteristic Leaching Protocol 
used in testing for hazardous heavy metals concentration.
          Our research and lead wheel weight testing conducted by 
the University of Iowa Hygienic Lab in Coralville Iowa using EPA 
simulated environmental conditions produced credible, astonishing and 
eye opening results. In particular, we would like to note that lead 
wheel weight test 1-10, simulating a typical EPA defined TCLP* 
landfill leachate condition, yielded an astonishing 385 mg/Liter 
(385 PPM or 385,000 PPB)lead concentration into solution. During the 
UHL testing and EPA TCLP* defined 18 hour rotation time frame this 
particular 14 gram lead wheel weight dissolved more than 0.3 gram (0.3072)
weight into a TCLP* formulated dilute acetic acid solution. According 
to the EPA's safe lead concentration threshold action level, 
15 PPB per liter lead concentration is the maximum amount of lead to be 
tolerated in any water source suggesting that the dissolved ( > 0.3 gram )
lead contamination in our lead wheel weight test 1-10 solution has the 
potential to contaminate over 25,000 liters of water. Lead wheel weight 
experiment 1-10 results suggest that a minute amount of measurable lead 
(milligrams) can react under various environmental conditions to form a 
significant amount (PPB) of water soluble lead compounds. 
(http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/lead/lead1.html) 
Every 1 microgram/deciliter (ug/dL) increase in blood lead levels 
results in an approximately 3 point decrease in population IQ levels. 
A microgram is .000001 gram. A deciliter is one tenth of a liter. 
(http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/committee/pbnaaqs.ppt) To gain some 
perspective, a penny weighs 2 grams. If you divided a penny into 2 
billion parts you would have a microgram or 1 PPB (part per billion).
          Dr. Wichman (UIHL) has suggested future research will be 
needed to verify the extent of toxic contributions of lead wheel 
weights to surface and ground water contamination. Dr. Wichman stated,
 “Based on these results one can determine that various conditions 
could result in leaching of lead from wheel weights. How that models 
into the extent of contamination of groundwater and/or surface water 
requires more research.” Based on our mathematical calculations, we 
observed that the 385 mg/liter (385,000 PPB) lead concentration 
measured by the UIHL in the dilute vinegar and lead wheel weight 
solution of test sample 1-10 is more than 25,666 times the USA EPA 
threshold acceptable limit of 15 PPB lead for one liter of water at 
4°C. Click here for math calculations and scientific definitions.