Major Air Pollutants:

Lead

Lead (Pb)

      

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

      -bluish-gray, noncombustible metal

      -occurs naturally in the earth’s crust

      -malleable, ductile, resistant to chemical corrosion

      -“organic lead” refers to lead compounds which contain carbon

      -“inorganic lead” refers to lead compounds, including elemental lead, which do not contain carbon(1)

 

 

 

The Sources

      -lead smelter

      -car, automobile emissions

      -used in construction materials for tank linings, piping, equipment for handling corrosive gases and liquids used in

      petroleum refining, halogenation, sulfonation, extraction, condensation, metallurgy, and for pigments for paints

      -used in ceramics, plastics, electronic devices, as a component of  lead batteries,  and in the production of

      ammunition, solder,  cable covering, and sheet lead (1)

 

In the atmosphere-

 

 -atmospheric lifetime of lead aerosols ranges from a few minutes to a few weeks, depending on:

          -particle size

          -meteorological conditions

          -concentration of total particulate matter

-larger coarse particles (.3-3mm in diameter) deposited by gravitational settling

-lead emissions from cars range from 5-50 µm in diameter (2)