Gourt > Science > Environment > Environmental Health > Toxic Substances > Lead
Lead is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Pb (L. plumbum) and atomic number 82. A soft, heavy, toxic and malleable poor metal, lead is bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes to dull gray when exposed to air. Lead is used in building construction, lead-acid batteries, bullets and shot, and is part of solder, pewter, and fusible alloys. Lead has the highest atomic number of all stable elements. (But see the article on bismuth, which has a half life so long it can be considered stable.)
Notable characteristics
Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, ductile, very soft, highly malleable, bluish-white metal that has poor electrical conductivity. This true metal is highly resistant to corrosion. Because of this property, it is used to contain corrosive liquids (e.g. sulfuric acid). Lead can be toughened by adding a small amount of antimony or other metals to it. Lead is the only metal in which there is zero Thomson effect. Lead is also poisonous.
Applications
- Lead is a major constituent of the lead-acid battery used extensively in car batteries.
- Lead is used as a coloring element in ceramic glazes, notably in the colors red and yellow.
- Lead is used as projectiles for firearms and fishing sinkers because of its density, low cost compared to alternative products and ease of use due to relatively low melting point. For health concerns see *
- Lead is used in some candles to treat the wick to ensure a longer, more even burn. Because of the dangers, European and North American manufacturers use more expensive alternatives such as zinc. *
- Lead is used as shielding from radiation.
- Molten lead is used as a coolant, eg. for lead cooled fast reactors.
- Lead glass is composed of 12-28% lead. It changes the optical characteristics of the glass and reduces the transmission of radiation.
- Lead is the traditional base metal of organ pipes, mixed with varying amounts of tin to control the tone of the pipe.
- Lead is used as electrodes in the process of electrolysis.
- Lead is used in solder for electronics.
- Lead is used in high voltage power cables as sheathing material to prevent water diffusion into insulation.
- Lead is used for the ballast keel of sailboats. Its high weight-to-volume ratio allows it to counterbalance the heeling effect of wind on the sails while at the same time occupying a small volume and thus offering the least underwater resistance.
- Lead is added to brass to reduce machine tool wear.
- Lead sheets are used as roofing material.
Hazardous Substances
Lead :: Elements
Indoor Air Quality :: Air Quality
Drinking Water :: Water Resources
High-level forum stresses need to tackle radioactive waste in Central Asia
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
A high-level forum organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) wrapped up in Geneva today with the adoption of a joint declaration stressing the need to tackle the challenge of radioactive waste in Central Asia.
Secretary-General welcomes new UK climate change financing scheme
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the new initiative announced by the Government of the United Kingdom on financing for climate change, ahead of this December's meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, where countries are expected to wrap up negotiations on an ambitious new pact to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
Free trade can help combat global warming, finds UN report
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Contrary to conventional wisdom, further liberalization of international trade can help combat climate change and support a low carbon economy, said a joint United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Trade Organization (WTO) report launched today in Geneva.
NIEHS - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - News
Researchers at the Most Comprehensive Study of Earliest Possible Causes of Autism to Hold Media Conference Call
Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0400
Leading autism researchers from coast-to-coast will hold a media teleconference to launch one of the largest research studies of its kind to investigate early risk factors for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The research network, called the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), will follow a cohort of up to 1,200 pregnant women who already have a child with autism. The study is considered one of the best-equipped to discover biological markers and environmental risk factors for autism. The researchers will be joined on the call by the study’s funders, the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks. WHEN: TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2009, 1:00 PM EST. DIAL-IN: (888) 508-3712; Passcode: 1369035.
Well Water Should Be Tested Annually to Reduce Health Risks to Children: May 26, 2009
Tue, 26 May 2009 11:00:00 -0400
Private well water should be tested yearly, and in some cases more often, according to new guidance offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, took a lead role in working with the AAP to develop these recommendations and draft a new AAP policy statement about the things parents should do if their children drink well water.
World Asthma Day: May 5, 2009
Tue, 05 May 2009 11:00:00 -0400
Today, on World Asthma Day, we at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), components of the National Institutes of Health, stand together with the international community to renew our dedication to understand the causes of asthma and to find better ways to treat, prevent and manage this disease.
California Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch - A children's environmental health program offering multi-layered solutions to this complex problem.
CDC Lead Poisoning Prevention Program - About lead poisoning and U.S. government efforts to protect children from lead exposure. From the National Center for Environmental Health of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meta Description: [ NCEH provides leadership to promote health & quality of life by preventing
or controlling those diseases, birth defects, or disabilities resulting from interaction between people and the
environment. Site has information/education resources on a broad range of topics, including asthma, birt... ]
Child Lead Poisoning and the Lead Industry - Provides a history of child lead poisoning in the U.S. and the role of the lead paint industry.
CLEARCorps: Protecting Children From Lead Poisoning - National AmeriCorps program helping families and communities protect their children from lead poisoning. Provides information about program, services, news, affiliates and membership.
Meta Description: [ CLEARCorps is a national program that uses low-cost and effective solutions to prevent childhood lead poisoning ]
Connecticut Lead Hazard Awareness Coalition - Provides information to educate families, public and private health care providers, about lead and its hazards, treatment, and resources in Connecticut compiled by state and local communities.
Meta Description: [ This web site is about childhood lead poisoning. Our goal is to give you information about lead poisoning so you can ask appropriate questions and get the information you need in one site. ]
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Investigation and Surveillance Section - Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) info on lead and pesticide poisoning, indoor air quality, and other environmental health concerns of a non-infectious nature.
Lead and Human Health - ACSH update on lead and its effects on human health.
Meta Description: [ Lead and Human Health, environmental health risk ]
Lead Exposure Harms Millions More Children Than Thought - Millions more children and adolescents in the United States than previously thought endure the detrimental effects of exposure to lead, according to a new Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati study.
Meta Description: [ Lead Exposure Harms Millions More Children Than Thought ]
Lead Poison - Features articles and findings related to lead poisoning in children. Legal resources and medical information available.
Lead Poisoning - Provides information concerning lead poisoning of the citizens of the City of Bremerton and Kitsap County in Washington State.
Lead Poisoning - DrGreene.com - Learn the lasting effects of plumbism to children exposed to dust from lead-containing paint.
Meta Description: [ Learn the lasting effects of plumbism to children exposed to dust from lead-containing paint. ]
Lead Poisoning Prevention Outreach Program - U.S. government program to give community-based organizations the tools and skills to plan and execute successful lead poisoning prevention programs in their communities.
Living Safely With Lead - Australian Lead Reference Centre for lead, health and the environment.
Medline Plus: Lead Poisoning - U.S. National Library of Medicine information on lead poisoning with links to reviews and articles.
Meta Description: [ Lead Poisoning ]
Multnomah County Health Department Lead Poisoning Prevention Program - Provides description of Oregon county community based services to those at risk for lead poisoning.
Nutrition And Childhood Lead Poisoning, HYG-5536-93 - Ohio State University Extension fact sheet on the subject.
Meta Description: [ Epidemiologic studies of children show that those exposed to lead, even low levels of lead, may have a lower IQ, learning disabilities, behav ]
Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children - Adverse effects of lead in young children are showing at increasingly lower blood lead levels. Detection and management info from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control.
The LEAD Group Inc - Organization aiming to eliminate childhood and foetal lead poisoning in Australia by the year 2012 and to protect the environment from lead. Includes fact sheets, news articles, and other resources.
Meta Description: [ Lead poisoning information from The LEAD Group Inc Global Lead Advice & Support Service incorporating Lead Advisory Service Australia, Aiming to eliminate
childhood lead poisoning by the year 2012 and to protect the environment from lead ]
U.S. EPA Lead Programs - Information and analysis on hazards of residential lead exposure for children exposed to deteriorating lead-based paint, lead contaminated dust, and lead contaminated residential soil. EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
Meta Description: [ Information on lead in paint, dust, and soil in mainly residential settings. ]
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