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
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News tagged with lead
Soup can reopens mystery of doomed Franklin Expedition
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Lead levels that are "off the scale" have been confirmed after tests were done this morning on the lid of a soup can dating back more than 150 years. The findings reopen the mystery surrounding ...
Young adults' blood lead levels linked to depression, panic disorder
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 07, 2009 |
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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 ...
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 ...
Search results for lead
Color my numbers
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 17, 2009 |
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For as many as 1 in 20 people, everyday experiences can elicit extra-ordinary associated sensations. The condition is known as synaesthesia and the most common form involves "seeing" colours when reading words and numbers. ...
Scientists take important step toward the proverbial fountain of youth
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. That's because they've shown exactly ...
New study finds catch shares improve consistency, not health, of fisheries
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Catch share programs result in more consistent and predictable fisheries but do not necessarily improve ecological conditions, according to a new study published online this week by the journal Proceedings of the National ...
Study Finds Treatment With Anabolic Hormone May Enhance Local Bone Regeneration
Dec 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In research that could open new avenues of investigation in the prevention and treatment of fractures, in bone regeneration and tissue engineering, scientists from Yale School of Medicine ...
Researchers work on vaccine to improve immune system in newborns
Dec 15, 2009 |
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As soon as babies are born, they are susceptible to diseases and infections, such as jaundice and e-coli. For up to a month, their immune systems aren't adequately developed to fight diseases. Although these infections are ...
FDA researchers identify new MRI safety risk for patients with pacemakers
Dec 15, 2009 |
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FDA researchers have found that certain cardiac pacemakers may inadequately stimulate a patient's heart while undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan due to the magnetic pulses mixing with the electronic pulses ...
Climate Wizard makes large databases of climate information visual, accessible
Dec 15, 2009 |
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A Web tool that generates color maps of projected temperature and precipitation changes using 16 of the world's most prominent climate-change models is being used to consider such things as habitat shifts that will affect ...
Added sugar in raisin cereals increases acidity of dental plaque
Dec 18, 2009 |
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Elevated dental plaque acid is a risk factor that contributes to cavities in children. But eating bran flakes with raisins containing no added sugar does not promote more acid in dental plaque than bran flakes alone, according ...
Skull bone may hold the key to tackling osteoporosis
Dec 19, 2009 |
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Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have uncovered fundamental differences between the bone which makes up the skull and the bones in our limbs, which they believe could hold the key to tackling bone weakness and ...
Global warming likely to be amplified by slow changes to Earth systems
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 20, 2009 |
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Researchers studying a period of high carbon dioxide levels and warm climate several million years ago have concluded that slow changes such as melting ice sheets amplified the initial warming caused by greenhouse ...
List of search results for lead
