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Lead is still everywhere: In fishing ballast, in curtains, in camera stands, ... I used to love removing those little lead pellets from curtain weight ropes. I

by p-e-w 3y ago

Lead is still everywhere: In fishing ballast, in curtains, in camera stands, ... I used to love removing those little lead pellets from curtain weight ropes. It wouldn't have crossed my mind to so much as wash my hands afterwards. I've seen children chewing on fishing lead, and nobody seemed to even be aware there's a risk involved. I mean, people used to ADD LEAD TO THEIR WINE(!!!) by the grams to give it that "heavy sweetness". Still, it took centuries for the population at large to notice that this might be a problem.

adastra22 3y ago
And soon, every single piece of electronics will be lead apatite…
- Cthulhu_ 3y ago
  Nah, that's not how any of it works, you can stop fearmongering. Even if so, it's not lead but a material composed with lead atoms, just like how lead is used now in many alloys without danger. I don't understand the low key fearmongering.
  - Eduard 3y ago
    >> And soon, every single piece of electronics will be lead apatite… > Nah, that's not how any of it works, you can stop fearmongering. Even if so, it's not lead but a material composed with lead atoms, just like how lead is used now in many alloys without danger. I don't understand the low key fearmongering. Nah, that's not fearmongering. That is plain reasoning within the context of a valid concerned discussion of lead. Previous uses of lead, historically incorrectly assumed to be (using your words) "without danger", have been phased out for a long time (e.g. lead additives for car gasoline), or are being actively replaced (e.g. lead-based water pipes in homes). https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead LK-99, the possible superconductor implied in adastra22's lead apatite comment, is 74 percent lead by mass. Due to lead's negative environmental and health impacts ( https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/lead https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/lead ) it is regulated e.g. by REACH ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registration,_Evaluation,_Authorisation_and_Restriction_of_Chemicals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registration,_Evaluation,_Auth... ) and the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_Substances_Control_Act_of_1976 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_Substances_Control_Act_o... ). I up the ante: imagine lead-based superconductor technology becomes a mass market reality, and therefore lead would be used in everyday appliances such as electrical cables, floating toys etc. Nobody wants bulk masses of lead landing in trash uncontrollably.
    - Timon3 3y ago
      You are using the same logic as anti-vaxxers who point at the ingredients of vaccines and say "there's mercury in there, it MUST be bad for you!". Lead as part of a bigger molecule behaves differently from lead as a standalone metal.
      - HPsquared 3y ago
        It depends on the particular chemistry and whether the lead can become bioavailable.
    - marcosdumay 3y ago
      Those things are not the same. If your only concern is the lead landing in trash uncontrollably, you can solve it by just controlling the trash (we mostly do that already). Lead has been phased out because of direct contamination and environment contamination. A chemically stable superconductor tape won't be a problem for either of those. The manufacturing process will probably be much more of a problem, but again, it's a matter of solving that problem.
  - adastra22 3y ago
    This isn’t an alloy, it’s an ionic bond. Any acidic solution would dissolve it, releasing lead ions into solution.
    - gunapologist99 3y ago
      like uric acid in water? https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/Perspiration https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/Perspiration
  - trehalose 3y ago
    Lead-containing compounds are toxic. In fact, as far as I'm aware, lead-containing compounds are the only toxic kinds of lead. Metallic lead is only hazardous because corrosion forms lead salts on its surface.

by p-e-w 3y ago

adastra22 3y ago

And soon, every single piece of electronics will be lead apatite…

Cthulhu_ 3y ago
Nah, that's not how any of it works, you can stop fearmongering. Even if so, it's not lead but a material composed with lead atoms, just like how lead is used now in many alloys without danger. I don't understand the low key fearmongering.
- Eduard 3y ago
  >> And soon, every single piece of electronics will be lead apatite… > Nah, that's not how any of it works, you can stop fearmongering. Even if so, it's not lead but a material composed with lead atoms, just like how lead is used now in many alloys without danger. I don't understand the low key fearmongering. Nah, that's not fearmongering. That is plain reasoning within the context of a valid concerned discussion of lead. Previous uses of lead, historically incorrectly assumed to be (using your words) "without danger", have been phased out for a long time (e.g. lead additives for car gasoline), or are being actively replaced (e.g. lead-based water pipes in homes). https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead LK-99, the possible superconductor implied in adastra22's lead apatite comment, is 74 percent lead by mass. Due to lead's negative environmental and health impacts ( https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/lead https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/lead ) it is regulated e.g. by REACH ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registration,_Evaluation,_Authorisation_and_Restriction_of_Chemicals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registration,_Evaluation,_Auth... ) and the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_Substances_Control_Act_of_1976 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_Substances_Control_Act_o... ). I up the ante: imagine lead-based superconductor technology becomes a mass market reality, and therefore lead would be used in everyday appliances such as electrical cables, floating toys etc. Nobody wants bulk masses of lead landing in trash uncontrollably.
  - Timon3 3y ago
    You are using the same logic as anti-vaxxers who point at the ingredients of vaccines and say "there's mercury in there, it MUST be bad for you!". Lead as part of a bigger molecule behaves differently from lead as a standalone metal.
    - HPsquared 3y ago
      It depends on the particular chemistry and whether the lead can become bioavailable.
  - marcosdumay 3y ago
    Those things are not the same. If your only concern is the lead landing in trash uncontrollably, you can solve it by just controlling the trash (we mostly do that already). Lead has been phased out because of direct contamination and environment contamination. A chemically stable superconductor tape won't be a problem for either of those. The manufacturing process will probably be much more of a problem, but again, it's a matter of solving that problem.
- adastra22 3y ago
  This isn’t an alloy, it’s an ionic bond. Any acidic solution would dissolve it, releasing lead ions into solution.
  - gunapologist99 3y ago
    like uric acid in water? https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/Perspiration https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/Perspiration
- trehalose 3y ago
  Lead-containing compounds are toxic. In fact, as far as I'm aware, lead-containing compounds are the only toxic kinds of lead. Metallic lead is only hazardous because corrosion forms lead salts on its surface.