NEW YORK, N.Y. – Earthgarage.com, a consumer website created by the Green Automotive Alliance in New York, has launched a state-by-state petition to ban copper and other hazardous materials in automotive brake pads.
 
The “Give Water a Brake” campaign aims to highlight the fact that traditional brake pads consist of potentially toxic materials including asbestos, lead, antimony and copper. Every time a driver steps on the brakes, these materials come off the pads in the form of brake dust. When these toxic materials are released into the air, they work their way into the water table and contaminate the water supply for animals and humans.
 
California and Washington have already passed legislation that will eventually remove all copper from brake pads.
 
“The idea is to pressure the rest of the U.S. and our neighbors in Canada to step up and pass legislation that will begin phasing out copper and other hazardous materials in brake pads,” said Bob Leonard, CEO of Green Automotive Alliance and founder of Earthgarage.com. “We believe this grassroots effort will eventually influence national legislation.”
 
This initiative is sponsored by Eco-Stop, a manufacturer of copper-free brake pads.

“We are pleased to partner with Earthgarage.com on this critical issue,” said John Carney, brand manager, FDP Friction Science, the manufacturer of Eco-Stop. “Copper and other hazardous materials need not be present in brake pads. It affects us as well as the food we eat - for example, salmon suffers greatly from copper in our water. There are better ways to make a brake pad and not sacrifice safety. The driving public needs to be made aware of this.”
 
Leonard and Carney noted that Rhode Island and New York have introduced similar bills that have not yet been passed.

The petition can be found at earthgarage.com/blog.