Lead
hideLead (pronounced /ˈlɛd/) is a main-group element with symbol Pb (Latin: plumbum) and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air. It has a shiny chrome-silver luster when melted into a liquid.
Lead is used in building construction, lead-acid batteries, bullets and shot, weights, and is part of solder, pewter, fusible alloys and radiation shields. Lead has the highest atomic number of all stable elements, although the next element, bismuth, has a half-life so long (longer than the estimated age of the universe) it can be considered stable. Like mercury, another heavy metal, lead is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bone over time. Lead poisoning was documented in ancient Rome, Greece, and China.
For more information about Lead, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with lead
Lead poisoning threatens a vulnerable albatross population
Oct 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Populations of Laysan albatross face severe declines due to widespread lead poisoning of chicks unless comprehensive cleanup measures gain momentum, according to a recent study.
Children's blood lead levels linked to lower test scores
Oct 19, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Exposure to lead in early childhood significantly contributes to lower performances on end-of-grade (EOG) reading tests among minority and low-income children, according to researchers at Duke University and North Carolina ...
Dangers of lead pollution have not gone away -- particularly for children
Sep 17, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The campaign for car drivers to make the switch from leaded to unleaded petrol has been hailed as a major environmental success story in recent years. But despite the dramatic change in our ...
Lead in bone associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in men
Sep 09, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Growing evidence shows that exposure to lead in the environment is associated with cardiovascular disease, including increased risk of hypertension. However, those studies have looked at lead concentrations in blood, not ...
FDA: Yes, lots of lipsticks contain lead
Sep 05, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
3
The good news: After a long, tight-lipped silence, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration tested lipsticks for lead -- a move that eco-nonprofit organizations like Campaign for Safe Cosmetics have been calling for years. After ...
CDC: Lead dust in cars source of kids' poisoning
Aug 20, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- Some childhood lead poisonings in Maine last year came from an unusual source - lead dust tracked into the family car.
2nd lead poisoning case hits China, 1,300 sick
Aug 20, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
(AP) -- China detained two factory officials after 1,300 children were poisoned by pollution from a manganese processing plant, state media said Thursday, days after emissions from a lead smelter in another ...
Lead-based consumer paint remains a global public health threat
Aug 04, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Although lead content in paint has been restricted in the United States since 1978, University of Cincinnati (UC) environmental health researchers say in major countries from three continents there is still ...
Canada proposes six chemicals ban in toys, new lead limits
Jun 19, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Canada's Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq on Friday proposed banning six commonly-used chemicals in soft vinyl toys and child-care articles, as well as new strict limits for lead in products.
Children's lead poisoning drops
May 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 2007, 416 children were reported to have elevated blood lead levels in Los Angeles County, a dramatic improvement from 10 years earlier, when fewer children were tested but 1,184 reports of children with ...
Atmospheric lead causes clouds to form more easily, could change pattern of rain and snow
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 19, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (8) |
15
(PhysOrg.com) -- By sampling clouds -- and making their own -- researchers have shown for the first time a direct relation between lead in the sky and the formation of ice crystals that foster clouds. The ...
Purses, wallets contain excessive amounts of lead, group says
Apr 09, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
1
In its quest to rid consumer products of a potent neurotoxin, an Oakland environmental group on Tuesday warned nearly 20 major retailers and manufacturers that they're selling women's purses, wallets, tote bags and other ...
Lead in the blood increases women's mortality
Apr 02, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
Lead concentrations in the blood are associated with an increased risk of death from coronary heart diseases (CHD). A study of 533 American women, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health, has sh ...
Nanoscale materials grow with the flow (Videos)
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Feb 12, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Imagine unloading a pile of bricks onto the ground and watching the bricks assemble themselves into a level, straight wall in only a few minutes. While merely a fantasy for builders in the everyday world, ...
Workers exposed to lead show more cognitive problems later in life
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jan 12, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
Both the developing brain and the aging brain can suffer from lead exposure. For older people, a buildup of lead from earlier exposure may be enough to result in greater cognitive problems after age 55, according to a follow-up ...
