TTI Study Finds Arsenic and Lead in Imported Glass Beads The
American Glass Bead Manufacturers' Association, which sponsored
the study, is urging states and the U.S. government to limit
heavy metal levels in glass beads used for highway markings. A
recent study sponsored by the American Glass Bead Manufacturers’
Association says that a growing number of imported glass bead
products for highway markings have high concentrations of heavy
metals, including arsenic and lead. The findings of the study,
which was conducted by Texas A&M University’s Texas
Transportation Institute (TTI), were presented last month at the
American Traffic Safety Services Association’s 41st Annual
Convention and Traffic Expo in Phoenix, Ariz. The TTI study
showed that imported glass beads had extremely high levels of
arsenic and lead and were susceptible to rapid leaching with
exposure to water. The high levels of heavy metal substances
pose a hazard to highway worker safety and are an environmental
threat, in terms of runoff into the s