Appearance and Characteristics
Harmful effects:
Lead and its compounds are poisonous.
Characteristics:
Lead is a bluish-gray, soft, dense metal that has a bright luster when freshly cut. It tarnishes slowly in moist air to form a dull gray coating. The metal is highly ductile and malleable. Lead is extremely resistant to corrosion and is a poor conductor of electricity.
Uses of Lead
Large quantities of lead, both as the metal and as the dioxide, are used in storage batteries. Lead is also used in cable covering, as ammunition, as electrodes, in solder and as roofing material. The metal is used as shielding from radiation, e.g. in x-ray rooms and nuclear reactors. Lead oxide is also used in the manufacture of fine crystal glass. Historically, lead was used in plumbing.
Tetraethyl lead was used as an anti-knock agent in petrol, and as an additive in paints. These uses have been reduced recently because of environmental concerns about cumulative lead poisoning.