Definition of lead:
Lead is a heavy metal with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. [1] It has a bluish white color, when freshly cut, but tarnishes to dull gray when exposed to air. It is also highly malleable. [2]This is the common definition for lead, other definitions can be discussed in the article
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Notes
Anthropogenic use of lead in metallic from (battery casings, lead pipes) are usually recycled. However lead used as petrol additives are largely lost to the atmosphere. This lead enters the marine ecosystem globally though rain. However coastal areas with a lot of near shore automobile activity can have considerably higher lead contamination. The reduction of leaded gasoline in the last decades caused the surface concentrations of lead in the North Atlantic surface waters to decline by 50% between 1981 and 1989.
