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.
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News tagged with lead
Childhood lead exposure causes permanent brain damage
Dec 01, 2009 |
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A study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate brain function revealed that adults who were exposed to lead as children incur permanent brain injury. The results were presented today at the annual ...
Road trains may be coming soon to Europe (w/ Video)
Nov 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Road trains linking vehicles together in a traveling convoy are planned for Europe. With only the lead vehicle being actively driven, the road trains would allow commuters to sleep, read a ...
Exposure to lead, tobacco smoke raises risk of ADHD
Nov 23, 2009 |
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Children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke and during childhood to lead face a particularly high risk for ADHD, according to research done at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
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Heavy metal paradox could point toward new therapy for Lou Gehrig's disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 30, 2009 |
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New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - findings that could point the way ...
How can scientists measure evolutionary responses to climate change?
Nov 30, 2009 |
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As global temperatures continue to rise scientists are presented with the complex challenge of understanding how species respond and adapt. In a paper published in Insect Conservation and Diversity, Dr Francisco Rodriguez-Trelles and Dr ...
Eye floaters and flashes of light linked to retinal tear, detachment
Nov 24, 2009 |
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Suddenly seeing floaters or flashes of light may indicate a serious eye problem that - if untreated - could lead to blindness, a new study shows.
Intensive fungicide use may lead to azole resistance in humans
15 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists from the Netherlands, including Gert Kema of Plant Research International, published an article in the Lancet Infectious Diseases about the relationship between fungic ...
New understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy
Nov 22, 2009 |
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Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which ...
Physician urges changes in diagnosis for sore throat in young adults
Nov 30, 2009 |
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New analysis from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) suggests that physicians need to re-think their diagnosis and treatment of sore throat, or pharyngitis, in adolescents and young adults to consider a more newly ...
Don't Blame Tryptophan for Thanksgiving Snooze
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Blame it on the heavy meal, the alcohol, or simply the opportunity afforded by a free afternoon on a traditional holiday. Just don't blame it on the tryptophan, say experts at the University ...
MRI helps detect life-threatening pregnancy complication
Dec 01, 2009 |
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A study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) revealed that MRI is a highly accurate means of identifying placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening and increasingly ...
Beverage can stay-tabs pose swallowing risk
Nov 30, 2009 |
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Three decades ago, a study revealed that beverage can pull-tabs were being swallowed by children, prompting a switch by U.S. manufacturers to stay-tabs. But a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological ...
Peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes'
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- By producing some of the highest resolution images of peptides attaching to mineral surfaces, scientists have a deeper understanding how biomolecules manipulate the growth crystals. This research ...
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