![]() ![]() In adults, slow accumulation of lead can result in kidney and nervous system damage, anemia, stroke or cancer, according to Utah State University. ![]() Lead can delay physical and mental development in babies and young children. Since symptoms of slow lead poisoning are mainly emotional and mental in nature, lead poisoning may be the last thing people suspect. ![]() Most cases of lead poisoning are due to chronic low-dose exposure. When the water chemistry is very carefully controlled, however, it keeps lead from leaching into the drinking water. cities still use lead pipes to carry water from the utilities to our homes and businesses. Nearly all homes built before the 1980s have lead solder connecting to copper pipes, according to Plumbing Manufacturers International. Lead can also leach into the drinking water supply through older, corroded lead pipes, faucets and solder. For example, children living in older homes can still breathe in or ingest dust or paint chips from peeling lead paint on the walls. Since lead was used in so many products before people recognized the extent of its toxicity, it continues to pose a real public health danger today. Lead (Image credit: Andrei Marincas Shutterstock) Toxicity today Most common isotopes: Pb-208 (52.4 percent of natural abundance) Pb-206 (24.1 percent of natural abundance) Pb-207 (22.1 percent of natural abundance) Pb-204 (1.4 percent of natural abundance).Number of isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): 27 4 stable.Boiling point: 3,180.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1,749 degrees Celsius).Melting point: 621.4 degrees Fahrenheit (327.46 degrees Celsius).Density: 11.342 grams per cubic centimeter.Atomic weight (average mass of the atom): 207.2.Atomic symbol (on the periodic table of the elements): Pb.Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 82.It was finally banned for all on-road vehicles in 1996. It wasn't until the late 1970s that leaded gasoline started to get phased out. Public Health Service held a conference in 1925, lead was ultimately allowed to remain in gasoline for decades in spite of all the damage it was causing. Finally, after 44 workers at Standard Oil's plant had been hospitalized, public awareness and outcry finally began to gather steam, according to Chemistry LibreTexts. At Dupont's manufacturing plant in New Jersey, it was particularly bad - eight workers died between 19. Almost immediately, industry workers started to become extremely ill and some even died. Tetraethyl lead was added to gasoline in the 1920s to help reduce engine knocking, wear and tear and pre-ignition. Lead is also still used in some bullets and ammunition. ![]() About one-third of the lead in the United States is recycled.īecause of its density and ability to absorb vibration, lead also makes an excellent shield against different types of harmful radiation, such as those found in X-ray machines and nuclear reactors, according to Jefferson Lab. Lead is commonly mined and smelted in Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Montana and Texas, according to Plumbing Manufacturers International. Lead typically occurs in very small amounts in ores such as galena, anglesite and cerussite. It is not considered rare, however, since it is fairly widespread and easy to extract. Lead is a highly lustrous, bluish-white element that makes up only about 0.0013 percent of the Earth's crust, according to the Jefferson Lab. Even the ancient Romans made their water pipes out of lead, causing some to believe that lead poisoning, at least partially, led to the fall of the Roman Empire. Certain properties of lead, namely its ductility and resistance to corrosion and tiny leaks, make it a particularly good material for constructing water pipes. Throughout history - before the scientific advancements of the 20th century revealed its potent toxicity - lead was widely used in a variety of products, including cosmetics, paint, solder, pipes and gasoline. ![]()
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