Main uses and applications

Lead is one of the oldest metals exploited by humans, with the first recorded use over 5,000 years ago. It is rarely found in nature but occurs with other minerals, like galena (PbS), which is the primary source of lead. Lead is a malleable, ductile, dense and corrosion-resistant metal with a low melting point. These attributes contribute to the metal’s many industrial applications; for instance, lead’s corrosion-resistant properties led to its use in roofing materials, coverings for electric cables, and linings for water pipes.i However, lead is highly toxic and growing awareness of the health impacts of exposure to lead caused a reduction in its use in water systems, gasoline, paints, and solders, from the 1980s.ii   

Today, lead-acid storage batteries represent the most common lead application, accounting for over 90% of lead consumption in the United States in 2020.iii Lead is also used to produce ammunition, a component of solder, fusible alloys, bearing alloys and pewter. Lead is also used as protective shielding against electromagnetic radiation in hospitals, nuclear reactors, and in containers used to transport and store radioactive materials.iv The International Lead Association (ILA) highlights the use of lead as part of alloys to coat PV ribbons in solar panels,v as well as in lead-sheathed high-voltage subsea cables in offshore wind projects.vi