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I used to play with lead sheets as a kid. From roofing stuff my grandfather had around. It was fun because it was pleasingly malleable . Often wonder if it had
by easytiger 6y ago
I used to play with lead sheets as a kid. From roofing stuff my grandfather had around. It was fun because it was pleasingly malleable . Often wonder if it had any relationship with health issues
- opwieurposiu 6y agoElemental lead is way less toxic than organic lead compounds like they used to put in gas. Human body does not adsorb elemental lead very efficiently, but it loves that organic stuff. I played with lead as a child, it is a fun metal because you can bend it with your hands so easily or melt it on the stove and cast it in your sandbox(protip: don't use mom's good saucepan). https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/chapter/9781849730822-00153/978-1-84973-082-2 https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/chapter/9781849730822-00153/...
- elliekelly 6y agoAs a kid I used to play with the mercury in broken thermometers and now I wonder about the health risks, too.
- jccooper 6y agoElemental mercury is kind of in the same boat as elemental lead. It's poorly absorbed dermally and GI, so you need continuous exposure to be a real problem. It's worst when you're inhaling it, which is bad news because mercury does evaporate at room temperature, and especially when hot. I doubt you encountered enough mercury, and for long enough, to be any problem unless you were doing something unusual with it. Eating a lot of fish is much more dangerous mercury-wise.
- koolba 6y agoLead was magical as a kid as you could melt it with a basic camp fire.