Lead - Minerals and Uses

Lead is very soft, blue-gray, metallic element and has been used since antiquity. Because it is so soft, lead is usually alloyed with other elements. Water pipes in ancient Rome, some of which still carry water, were made of lead. The English words plumber and plumbing are derived from the Latin word for lead, plumbum. Plumbum is also the source of the chemical symbol for lead, Pb.

Lead is a very heavy element and combined with other elements it forms a variety of interesting and beautiful minerals, all of which are heavy due to their lead content. The most significant lead mineral is galena (PbS). Galena deposits have been worked worldwide for their lead. Anglesite (PbSO₄₎ and cerussite (PbCO₃) are other lead minerals.

All major radioactive elements (such as uranium) break down and create lead as one of their end products. Interestingly, lead is used to safely store radioactive materials because it absorbs radiation from the radioactive isotopes. Due to its toxicity, lead is no longer used as an additive in gasoline or paint.

Lead is mined in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Peru. More than 1 million tons of lead is recovered in recycling annually, the majority of which is from the recycling of batteries.

The majority of the lead consumed annually is used to make batteries for cars, trucks and other vehicles, as well as wheel weights, solder, bearings and other parts. Lead is used in electronics and communications (emergency power batteries, for example), ammunition, television glass, construction, and protective coatings. A small amount is used to make protective aprons for patients having x-rays to shield the body from excess radiation exposure, for crystal glass production, weights and ballast, and specialized chemicals.

Plastics, aluminum, tin, and iron are replacing the use of lead in construction materials, containers, packaging, etc. Tin and other metals are being used to replace lead as a solder in some applications where lead could poison people, such as in drinking water systems.