Properties of Lead

Lead is a soft, blue-gray metal found naturally in the earth’s soil. Lead can combine with other metals to form alloys used for products like ammunition, pipes, and building materials. Lead can also combine with other elements to create chemical compounds which are very stable and easily accumulate in the environment.

Although naturally occurring, lead is one of many heavy metals that can cause serious harm to the body. 

Toddler peeling paint off of a window of a home outside. The paint could be lead-based.

Lead compounds are used in a variety of consumer products as stabilizing agents to produce certain qualities like flexibility, increased weight, and resistance to corrosion. For example, a variety of lead compounds were used in lead-based paint to manipulate qualities like paint pigmentation, drying time, durability and moisture resistance. This made lead-based paint ideal for use in homes, on metal exposed to the elements, and even children’s toys.

Lead-based paint is a primary source of childhood lead poisoning. One compound found in lead-based paint is lead acetate. Lead acetate has a sweet taste which puts young children at-risk for eating paint chips and chewing on surfaces such as window sills and furniture painted with lead-based paint.