Lead (Pb)

Lead is a naturally occurring bluish-gray metal found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. Lead can be found in all parts of our environment. Much of it comes from human activities including burning fossil fuels, mining, and manufacturing. Lead has many different uses. It is used in the production of batteries, ammunition, metal products (solder and pipes), and devices to shield X-rays. Lead is used in the manufacture of batteries, metal products, paints, and ceramic glazes. Because of health concerns, lead from gasoline, paints and ceramic products, caulking, and pipe solder has been dramatically reduced in recent years.

• Lead is present in a variety of compounds such as lead acetate, lead chloride, lead chromate, lead nitrate, and lead oxide.
• The primary use of lead is in the manufacture of batteries.
• Lead is also used in the production of metal products, such as sheet lead, solder (but no longer in food cans), and pipes, and in ceramic glazes, paint, ammunition, cable covering, and other products. 
• Tetraethyl lead was used in gasoline to increase the octane rating until lead additives were phased out and eventually banned from use in gasoline in the U.S. by the EPA by 1996.

• Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body: especially the central nervous system, kidneys, and the reproductive system. 
• At high levels, lead may decrease reaction time, cause weakness in fingers, wrists, or ankles, and possibly affect the memory. Lead may cause anemia, a disorder of the blood. 
• The connection between these effects and exposure to low levels of lead is uncertain.
• Human studies are inconclusive regarding lead exposure and an increased cancer risk.
• In the marine environment, high concentrations of lead can be accumulated with no apparent harm.
  

• Lead itself does not break down, but lead compounds are changed by sunlight, air, and water.
• When lead is released to the air, it may travel long distances before settling to the ground.
• Once lead falls onto soil, it usually sticks to soil particles.
• Movement of lead from soil into groundwater will depend on the type of lead compound and the characteristics of the soil.
• Much of the lead in inner-city soils comes from old houses painted with lead-based paint.
• Lead has been listed as a pollutant of concern to EPA's Great Waters Program due to its persistence in the environment, potential to bioaccumulate, and toxicity to humans and the environment.