Road vehicles in general (ICS 43.020)

Regulations Prohibiting the Manufacture and Import of Lead Wheel Weights in Canada (21 pages, available in English and French).

The proposed Regulations would reduce lead contamination from Lead wheel weights. Lead is the most common material used for wheel balancing in the Canadian wheel weight market. Lead wheel weights are lost on roads and highways every year, and generate lead dust. This dust can build up in soil, enter waterways through runoff, or be inhaled. These pathways of exposure to lead dust can give rise to adverse human health and environmental impacts. Since it is a non-biodegradable metal, lead can also accumulate in the environment, contaminate water, and poison wildlife. Without action, it is expected that lead wheel weights will continue to be manufactured and imported in Canada, resulting in continued risks to human health and ecosystems from exposure to elevated concentrations of lead in the environment.

The proposed Regulations Prohibiting the Manufacture and Import of Lead Wheel Weights in Canada will reduce human and environmental exposure to lead by prohibiting the manufacture and import of lead wheel weights destined for the Canadian market, which would help reduce the adverse health impacts resulting from lead exposure, and help improve air, water and soil quality.
Permits may be issued to a manufacturer or importer of wheel weights, to continue manufacture or import wheel weights containing lead for usage on vehicles in Canada under the proposed Regulations. The permit applicant would be required to demonstrate that, at the time of the application, there are no alternatives to manufacturing or importing wheel weights containing lead, or the alternatives are not technically or economically feasible for the applicant. The permit would expire 24 months after the day on which the Minister issues the permit, and the Minister may renew it once for an additional 24 months. Submission of permits for usage on regular vehicles is not expected.
The proposed Regulations would not apply to lead wheel weights that are in transit through Canada, from a place outside Canada to another place outside Canada.