Lead
Naturally occurring poisonous heavy metal
Lead occurs naturally in the environment where it is present mostly as mineral. It is easy to process and - owing to its high density – suitable for absorbing radiation and sonic waves. Lead is therefore used in shipbuilding and radiation shielding.
The mayor field of application, however, is electrical engineering (automotive batteries). It also plays an important role in engineering, building industry, as ammunition, in pyrotechnics, and in other fields in chemical industry. The organic lead compound tetra-ethyl lead was used as anti-knock additive in fuels until the end of the 1980s.
Anthropogenic activities are the main emission source for lead. Natural sources like weathering and volcanic activities are comparatively low. Lead contaminations are found in the atmosphere, in soils and waters. The latter is mostly a result of run-off incidences, atmospheric deposition and discharge of waste water. Through plants, animals, and water lead may enter the human food chain.
Environmentally relevant characteristics of many lead compounds include:
- Toxicity to humans
- Toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial organisms
- In animal experiments carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and reproduction toxicity
- Possibly endocrine disrupting activity
- Bioaccumulation potential: Some aquatic and terrestrial organisms and also humans are capable of accumulating lead.
Recommended analysis examples
Search data
Specimen
| Common spruce | A major primary producer in semi-natural and anthropogenic affected ecosystems. |
|---|---|
| Pine | A major primary producer in semi-natural and anthropogenic affected ecosystems. |
| Lombardy poplar | A deciduous tree typical of ecosystems close to dense conurbations and an indicator for the characterisation of the immission situation during the vegetation period. |
| Beech | As the most dominant deciduous tree species in Central Europe, it plays a significant role in most nearly natural and also anthropogenically influenced forest ecosystems up to an altitude of 1100 m. |
| Feral pigeon | A pigeon species home in nearly every city. |
| Zebra mussel | Common mussel species as invasive animal in rivers and lakes with high information level for water pollution |
| Bream | Bioindicator in rivers and lakes |
| Common bladder wrack | Common brown alga of the coastal areas of the North and Baltic Sea |
| Blue mussel | One of the most important edible mussel species common in the North and Baltic Sea |
| Eelpout | As the only viviparous fish in German nearshore waters, it is a bioindicator in nearshore coastal marine ecosystems. |
| Herring gull | Inshore, the herring gull mainly feeds from the sea: upon fish, mussels, and crabs. |
| Suspended particulate matter | Fine insoluble mineral or organic particles in the water phase |
| Students | Student groups with an even number of female and male students at the age of 20 to 29. |
Sampling area
| BR/NP Berchtesgaden | The only high mountains national park in Germany and an area of the Limestone Alps with international relevance. |
|---|---|
| Saarländischer Verdichtungsraum | Important, old-industrialised conurbation in Germany. |
| Bornhöveder Seengebiet | Main watershed between the North- and Baltic Sea. |
| Rhein | Longest river in Germany. |
| NP Bayerischer Wald | The Bavarian Forest National Park is Germany's first national park. |
| NP Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft | National Park in the largest brackish water (Bodden) habitat of the world. |
| BR/NP Wattenmeere | National park in the world largest connected sand and mud flats. |
| Elbe | Fourth largest river area in Central Europe. |
| Dübener Heide | Region in the chemical triangle of Central Germany. |
| NP Harz | The Harz National Park is Germany's largest forest national park. |
| Solling | Second highest and largest low mountain range in Northern Germany. |
| BR Pfälzerwald | Germany's largest connected forest area in a range of low mountains. |
| Oberbayerisches Tertiärhügelland | The Upper Bavarian Tertiary Uplands are a part of the Southern German Molasse Basin. |
| Donau | Second largest river in Europe. |
| Sampling sites (humans) | 4 university cities as sampling areas. |
Sampling period
1981 - 2010
Extended information
Links to external information and legislation
- STARS substance database - lead: environmental behaviour, ecotoxicology, toxicology (German)
- PRTR Pollutant Release and Transfer Register - Lead and compounds (as Pb): sources and quantities of emissions (German)
- GSBL Joint Substance Database Federation/Länder - Lead: properties of environmental concern
- Gesetz zur Verminderung von Luftverunreinigungen durch Bleiverbindungen in Ottokraftstoffen für Kraftfahrzeugmotore (Benzinbleigesetz-BzBlG) (German)
- Reference values for arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) and metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Ni, Tl, U, Pt) in blood or urine
- ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - ToxGuide Lead
- PAN Pesticides Database - Lead - toxicity, ecological toxicity and regulatory information