Lead is a heavy, soft metal, with a bluish metallic look. It can be found naturally in all parts of the world. Because lead is an element, it is indestructible and non-biodegradable. The softness of lead made it very adaptable and it was bent and shaped into many useful items. People have been doing this for hundreds of years. For most of this time, lead was thought to be safe in low doses. Only recently have the dangers of lead poisoning been discovered. Even extremely low levels of lead can cause health problems, especially in small children ages 6 months to 6 years.

The two best known products to have lead banned from them are paint and gasoline. Legislation halting production of paint over 0.06% in lead content and the phasing out of leaded gasoline has successfully reduced the amount of lead released into the environment. However, large amounts of lead-based paint persist in and around many homes. An estimated three million tons of lead remain in fifty seven million American homes. Much of the lead from gasoline still contaminates the soil along busy roadways.

Lead is found in many modern products such as pottery, batteries, stabilizers for plastics, pigments for inks, electrical and plumbing solder, and pipes. The manufacture, use, and disposal of these products release very fine lead particles into the environment. These particles can enter air, water, or food, and contaminate soil and dust. Minute lead particles can travel long distances, creating problems far from their source.

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