Lead

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Lead (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


Young adults' blood lead levels linked to depression, panic disorder

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 12 hours ago | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Young adults with higher blood lead levels appear more likely to have major depression and panic disorders, even if they have exposure to lead levels generally considered safe, according to a report in the December issue ...





Search results for lead


Urine test for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea possible

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered a technique that is able to determine whether a child has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or habitual snoring by screening their urine.


Don't I know you? Research sheds light on memorial retrieval

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

We have all had the embarrassing experience of seeing an acquaintance in an unfamiliar setting. We know we know them but can't recall who they are. But with the correct cues from conversation or context, something seems ...


Study shows nearly 1/3 of human genome is involved in gingivitis

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created 20 hours ago | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Gingivitis, which may affect more than one-half of the U.S. adult population, is a condition commonly attributed to lapses in simple oral hygiene habits. However, a new study shows that development and reversal of gingivitis ...


New technology could boost disease detection tests' speed and sensitivity

New technology could boost disease detection tests' speed and sensitivity (w/ Video)

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created 14 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A team led by Yale University scientists has developed a way to rapidly manipulate and sort different cells in the blood using magnetizable liquids. The findings, which will be published the week of December ...


Antidepressant Can Change Patient's Personality

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 14 hours ago | popularity 4.1 / 5 (7) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The nation is still debating the effects of antidepressant medications on brain chemistry almost 20 years after publication of the best-seller "Listening to Prozac." Though selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ...


Kindle 2

Amazon's Kindle to get audible menus, bigger font

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. will add two features to the Kindle e-book reader to make the gadget more accessible to blind and vision-impaired users.


New computer model could lead to safer stents

Medicine & Health / Research

created 19 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

After suffering heart attacks, patients often receive stents designed to hold their arteries open. Some of these stents release drugs that are meant to halt tissue growth in arteries, but can have life-threatening side effects ...


Study shows gene positions may aid cancer diagnosis

Study shows gene positions may aid cancer diagnosis

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created 20 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Certain genes switch their nuclear position in tumor cells, offering a potential new method of diagnosing cancer, say researchers from the National Cancer Institute. The study by Meaburn et al. will be published ...


H1N1 more risky than seasonal flu in children with sickle cell disease

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 20 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Infection with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, causes more life-threatening complications than seasonal flu in children with sickle cell disease, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center. The findings, to ...


Not all parents place their babies 'back to sleep,' research finds

Medicine & Health / Health

created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Placing infants on their backs for sleep can help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). But a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues shows that while the practice helped reduce ...



List of search results for lead