Lead is essential to modern living and is important enough to be the world’s fifth most used metal. One of lead’s major advantages is that it is recyclable and when it comes to recycling metals, lead is the leader. Almost 80 percent of the lead used in the Western World is collected and recycled into new products.

The dominant use of lead is for batteries. The batteries that start your car every day and the batteries that are used in electric vehicles such as wheelchairs and golf carts. In fact, hospitals, telecommunications and computers rely on batteries during power interruptions.

Lead also helps control noise and air pollution and provides radiation protection to patients, health care professionals and workers in the nuclear industry. In addition, lead is still used in traditional applications such as the production of fine crystal and the making of stain glass windows.

Health Care and Protection – Lead is simply the most effective radiation shield there is. It’s used for X-rays, and for precision control of radiation in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. For overall protection of staff and patients, lead is often built right into walls, floors, windows and doors of hospital X-ray facilities.

Lead protects you whenever you watch TV or use a computer monitor, leaded glass in the tube and in the faceplate of the screen blocks out potentially harmful radiation. When it comes to protecting health and ensuring safety, lead is on the job more often than many people realize.

Environmental Control – In the battle to control sulphur emissions and reduce acid rain, lead has a front-line position. Lead is an essential component in electrostatic precipitators’ known as "scrubbers" which are used to recover sulphur from gases produced when fossil fuels are burned.

Transportation - Every morning, millions of people count on their car batteries to generate the vital spark they need to get rolling. This application is so extensive that 65 percent of the lead used in North America finds its way into automotive batteries.

From golf carts to forklifts, wheelchairs to baggage loaders, battery-powered vehicles are worldwide favorites for special transportation and materials handling needs. The batteries that power these vehicles are virtually emission-free and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

Energy Storage – More and more electric utilities and energy consumers are finding it economical to use large lead based "battery banks" to store electricity produced during periods of low demand. The stored energy is then released from the battery bank when demand for electricity peaks.

Did you know? Pewter is an alloy of lead and tin.