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
Childhood lead exposure causes permanent brain damage
17 hours ago |
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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 ...
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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
3 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 ...
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 ...
MRI helps detect life-threatening pregnancy complication
15 hours ago |
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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 ...
Overweight children may develop back pain and spinal abnormalities
16 hours ago |
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Being overweight as a child could lead to early degeneration in the spine, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
First Pump-Probe Experiment at Linac Coherent Light Source Completed
Nov 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The first experiment using the Linac Coherent Light Source to illuminate molecules via a "pump-probe" technique has been completed by an international team of more than 30 scientists from ...
New study finds MRSA on the rise in hospital outpatients
Nov 24, 2009 |
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The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug MRSA -- an infection-causing bacteria resistant to most common antibiotics -- poses a far greater health threat than previously known and is making its way into hospitals, ...
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