February 7, 2007 • The Superlight Safety Foam Fill� from Urethane International, Alpharetta, Ga., has received third party validation that it is a viable environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum oil-based tire fills. The lightweight polyurethane foam tire fill recently passed a rigorous solid waste leach test conducted by an independent laboratory, and the flatproofing material has been approved by the Georgia EPD as acceptable for disposal in municipal solid waste land fills.

“Anyone using the old, heavy petroleum oil-based tire fills needs to stop and examine the environmental, safety, and insurance issues surrounding its continued use,” said Joe Danules, UI's president and chief executive officer.

These issues include dealer liabilities for unapproved solid waste disposal or property damage; dangerous situations affecting workers who fill and handle heavy tires; injuries related to high pressure tire fill systems; and higher insurance and worker's compensation claims from handling injuries. Additionally, UI noted that these issues are exacerbated by the high cost of oil used in petroleum oil-based tire fills.

Use of the oil-based tire fills stretches back as far as 50 years, and Danules estimated that hundreds of millions of pounds of this type of tire fill has been used in on- and off-road equipment over the last half century. He added that with “the potential environmental, safety, and insurance liabilities of the old fills and old fill systems, it would seem reasonable that commercial tire dealers and original equipment manufacturers using the old, heavy petroleum oil-based tire fills will be switching” to a safer, more environmentally friendly tire fill. “After all, who wants to pass on potential solid waste disposal liabilities to their customers?” Danules asked.