41 Facts About Lead

Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82.

Lead is soft and malleable, and has a relatively low melting point.

Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and three of its isotopes are endpoints of major nuclear decay chains of heavier elements.

Lead is toxic, even in small amounts, especially to children.

Lead production declined after the fall of Rome and did not reach comparable levels until the Industrial Revolution.

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Lead played a crucial role in the development of the printing press, as movable type could be relatively easily cast from lead alloys.

Lead's toxicity became widely recognized in the late 19th century, although a number of well-educated ancient Greek and Roman writers were aware of this fact and even knew some of the symptoms of lead poisoning.

Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bones; it damages the nervous system and interferes with the function of biological enzymes, causing neurological disorders ranging from behavioral problems to brain damage, and affects general health, cardiovascular, and renal systems.

Lead consequently has a face-centered cubic structure like the similarly sized divalent metals calcium and strontium.

Lead is a very soft metal with a Mohs hardness of 1.

Lead has a magic number of protons, for which the nuclear shell model accurately predicts an especially stable nucleus.

Lead-210 is particularly useful for helping to identify the ages of samples by measuring its ratio to lead-206.

Lead-205 is the most stable radioisotope, with a half-life of around 1.

Lead metal resists sulfuric and phosphoric acid but not hydrochloric or nitric acid; the outcome depends on insolubility and subsequent passivation of the product salt.

Lead sulfide is a semiconductor, a photoconductor, and an extremely sensitive infrared radiation detector.

Lead dihalides are well-characterized; this includes the diastatide and mixed halides, such as PbFCl.

Lead dioxide is a strong oxidizing agent, capable of oxidizing hydrochloric acid to chlorine gas.

Lead is classified as a chalcophile under the Goldschmidt classification, meaning it is generally found combined with sulfur.

Lead was used in the Ancient Chinese royal court as a stimulant, as currency, and as a contraceptive; the Indus Valley civilization and the Mesoamericans used it for making amulets; and the eastern and southern African peoples used lead in wire drawing.

Lead tablets were commonly used as a material for letters.

Lead coffins, cast in flat sand forms, with interchangeable motifs to suit the faith of the deceased were used in ancient Judea.

Lead was used to make sling bullets from the 5th century BC.

Lead became the chief material for making bullets for firearms: it was cheap, less damaging to iron gun barrels, had a higher density, and its lower melting point made the production of bullets easier as they could be made using a wood fire.

Lead was proven to be more dangerous in its fume form than as a solid metal.

Lead metal has several useful mechanical properties, including high density, low melting point, ductility, and relative inertness.

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Lead has been used for bullets since their invention in the Middle Ages.

Lead is still used in statues and sculptures, including for armatures.

Lead is added to copper alloys, such as brass and bronze, to improve machinability and for its lubricating qualities.

Lead has no natural resonance frequencies; as a result, sheet-lead is used as a sound deadening layer in the walls, floors, and ceilings of sound studios.

Lead is an established shielding material from radiation in nuclear science and in X-ray rooms due to its denseness and high attenuation coefficient.

Lead is used in high voltage power cables as shell material to prevent water diffusion into insulation; this use is decreasing as lead is being phased out.

Lead is one of three metals used in the Oddy test for museum materials, helping detect organic acids, aldehydes, and acidic gases.

Lead-based coloring agents are used in ceramic glazes and glass, especially for red and yellow shades.

Lead is frequently used in the polyvinyl chloride coating of electrical cords.

Lead has no confirmed biological role, and there is no confirmed safe level of lead exposure.

Lead is a highly poisonous metal, affecting almost every organ and system in the human body.

Lead exposure is a global issue since lead mining and smelting, and battery manufacturing, disposal, and recycling, are common in many countries.

Lead enters the body via inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption.

Lead softens the plastic and makes it more flexible so that it can go back to its original shape.

Lead was banned for shot and sinkers in the United States in 2017, although that ban was only effective for a month, and a similar ban is being considered in the European Union.

Lead use was further curtailed by the European Union's 2003 Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive.