By Tim Lambert
People learned to use lead as early as 6,500 BC. It was used to make beads in what is now Turkey. Lead proved to be a useful metal because it has a low melting point and it does not corrode.
The Romans used lead to make pipes. In fact, the Latin word for lead, plumbum, gave us our word plumber. Lead was also used to make cooking pots and to make coins. The Romans also used lead to sweeten wine and food. In the Ancient World, lead was also used by fishermen for weights.
Lead is mentioned in several places in the Bible (Numbers 31, 22-23), (Ezekiel 27:12).
In the Middle Ages, lead was used to make lead lights in windows. It was also used for roofing and stained glass windows. It was also used in the first printing presses. In the 16th century, lead was used for bullets. From the 16th to the 18th century, it was also used for makeup.
On sailing ships, a lead weight was attached to a long rope. A knot was tied every six feet in the rope. The lead weight was swung and then thrown overboard. When it sank to the seabed, you counted the number of knots that disappeared, which told you how deep the sea was. It was an easy job, and it was given to sailors who were feeling ill. In time, swinging the lead came to mean feigning illness to avoid work.
In the 1920s, lead was added to petrol (gasoline). However, in the late 20th century, it became clear that it was a health hazard, and it was phased out in the USA. Lead in petrol was banned in the European Union in 2000.
Lead was also added to paint. However, lead paint was banned in the USA in 1978 and in the UK in 1992.
Despite its dangers, lead is still a useful metal. It is often used for lead-acid batteries. Lead is also added to glass. Lead is also used to shield people from radiation. Even Superman can’t see through lead with his X-ray vision!
