http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead
Lead's symbol: Pb. It's a soft, malleable metal. The atomic number is 82 and it's atomic mass is 207.2. This metal has a melting point of 621.43 degrees Fahrenheit, and it is solid at room temperature.
Lead is a common metal used that is being exploited in many ways. Since it is not a free metal, it is that is extracted from the ore of galena (by heating it up in hot air), anglesite, cerussite, and minum, compounds that contain lead. About 1/3 of the lead used in the United States is through recycling. This metal has been used for a very long time. The Ancient Romans used lead to make their water pipes, and it is believed that because of high exposure to lead, the Roman Empire had fell. Some of these water pipes are still found today. Nowadays, lead is used to cover wires in order to protect them from corroding. It was originally in pencils, but was substituted by graphite due to the further knowledge of the harmful effects.
Extreme exposure to lead has been known to have caused many issues for people's health. One issue is the impact it has on the developing nervous system, where it has been said to be one of the big causes of mental retardation. Lead was common in paint, but now have been substituted because of the negative impacts it has been having on people, especially children. Lead paint had been used in many children's toys, especially the ones shipped from China, and now they have been on the lookout and people have been more aware about this situation.
Resources from this website:
http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele082.html
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