Lead is a metallic element with atomic number 82. It is a dense, soft, malleable, ductile metal. Known for several thousand years, it has been widely used through history for example in plumbing by the Romans and many other societies since. Compounds are poisonous on ingestion.
Questions tagged [lead]
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Did lead poisoning contribute to the fall of the Roman Empire?
The Roman Empire used a lot of lead. It was important component of their plumbing (the english word itself is derived from the latin word for lead). They even used it to sweeten wine and in food (reference):
Lead's sweet overtones ... were thought…
matt_black
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Is lead exposure responsible for the rise and fall of violent crime in the US?
I just found an article titled "America's Real Criminal Element: Lead" via Hacker News that made an assertion about the cause of violent crimes that I found rather surprising.
The article states that the addition and later removal of lead in…
Mad Scientist
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Did banning lead additives in petrol (gasoline) make a large contribution to lowering lead levels in people's blood?
There has been a renewed interest recently in the effects of low doses of lead especially in children (see this question, for example: Is lead exposure responsible for the rise and fall of violent crime in the US?). Or this (slightly overblown)…
matt_black
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Are 1 in 6 deaths in the USA due to lead exposure?
A blog I read contains this content:
About one in six death in the USA is due to lead exposure. Lead accumulates in your body over time and significantly increases your risks of cardiovascular diseases, among other bad things. There are chelation…
NoSenseEtAl
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Can I run barefoot without worry about exposure to lead, or tracking it in the house?
A friend of mine sent me an article (from the AP, which has since pulled the article) claiming that walking around in the house with shoes on will expose everyone to dangerous levels of lead, especially if the house was made before lead paint was…
mmr
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Has lead poisoning in kids in St. Louis (Mo.) decreased since 2001?
[The mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, Francis] Slay cites the efforts to… and reduce lead poisoning in children as some of his most fulfilling work. Regarding the latter, "The drop has been dramatic," he said. "It was over 20 percent when I took…
msh210
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Do earthenware pots contains lead?
I have heard somewhere that the earthenware pots contain lead, which can cause brain-damage.
Is this information correct?
biju
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Does lead used in electronics leach into the environment via landfill at detrimental levels?
Despite being one of the earliest metals exploited by man, lead is an environmental poison. If it gets into the body it causes a variety of acute and chronic symptoms and even low levels are thought to have noticeable effects especially on children…
matt_black
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