Lead
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Lead (chemical symbol Pb) is a toxic metallic element with no known biological function in humans.
Basic chemistry
Lead is one of the post-transition metals with the atomic number 82 and atomic weight 207.2 g/mol. It is greyish in colour and is pliable, poorly electrically-conducting with a high resistance to corrosion 1,2.
Toxicity
Unfortunately lead is a very toxic element, and lead poisoning or plumbism can have markedly negative outcomes on human health. In view of this toxicity its use has become increasingly restricted in much of the developed world, but unfortunately is less well-controlled in the poorer parts of the globe.
Its most devastating effects are on the CNS, although it is deleterious to every organ system 1,2.
Please see main article: lead poisoning.
Radiological importance
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shielding against ionising radiation
- key constituent both historically and contemporaneously
History and etymology
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leadLead has been used extensively since ~7000 BCE 1. Its chemical symbol Pb is short for plumbum, the Latin word for lead. This is the origin of the word plumber and plumbing as lead has been widely used for water pipes in the home since Roman times 1.
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