MINERALS

Lead (Pb), is a soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white, dense metal. It is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead has many applications, 80% is used in the manufacture of storage batteries. Lead and its compound are toxic. It is used in ammunition (shot and bullets) and as a constituent of solder, type metal, bearing alloys, fusible alloys, and pewter.

Lead is also often used to line tanks that store corrosive liquids and as a shield against X and gamma-ray radiation. The biggest producers of lead are Australia, China and USA, followed by Peru, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Morocco, South Africa and North Korea.