How Lead Works

How Lead Works
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Lead

Tracy V. Wilson, HowStuffWorks.com

Ever wonder why the abbreviation for lead is "Pb"? After all, it looks more like an abbreviation for plumbing. Both come from plumbum, the Latin word for lead. This is no accident -- there are ancient Roman water pipes made from lead that have survived to today.

lead

Where Lead Comes From
Lead is a naturally occurring metal, but you can't find it in nature in its pure form. Instead, you have to smelt it from an ore, the most common of which is galena. Galina has its own uses -- it's the crystal in a crystal radio.

What Makes Lead, Lead?
Lead is both soft and dense, which is why it makes a good fishing weight -- with little effort, you can put it on your line and press it into place. The problem with this handy weight is that it's toxic, especially to anything that swallows it.

What Lead Begat
You might think of it as a base for old paint or a drape that protects you during X-rays (or blocks Superman's X-ray vision), but lead has lots of uses. It is -- or has been -- in pewter and pipes, batteries and buckshot, gasoline and glazes, sound dampeners and solder.

A Surprising Thing About Lead
Although the topic is under debate, lead has taken the blame for everything from the fall of the Roman Empire to the array of illnesses suffered by Ludwig von Beethoven.

If The Jetsons Used Lead
Today, health concerns have led to the end of many uses for lead. But it's still part of batteries and radiation shields. If nuclear energy gains a stronger foothold as a green source of power, lead will help keep the radiation inside the power plant.