Elemental form

1. The largest use of lead in the early 21st century is in lead–acid batteries.[1]
2. Lead is used as bullets, because It is inexpensive; its low melting point means small arms ammunition and shotgun pellets can be cast with minimal technical equipment; and it is denser than other common metals, which allows for better retention of velocity.[2]
3. Lead is used as ballast in sailboat keels, its high density allows it to take up a small volume and minimize water resistance, thus counterbalancing the heeling effect of wind on the sails.[3]
4. Lead is used as a protective sheath for underwater cables, because of its corrosion resistance.[4]
5. Lead is added to copper alloys, such as brass and bronze, to improve machinability and for its lubricating qualities.[5] (Being practically insoluble in copper the lead forms solid globules in imperfections throughout the alloy, such as grain boundaries. In low concentrations, as well as acting as a lubricant, the globules hinder the formation of swarf as the alloy is worked, thereby improving machinability.)
6. Sheet-lead is used as a sound deadening layer in the walls, floors, and ceilings of sound studios, because it has no natural resonance frequencies.[6]
7. Lead is an established shielding material from radiation in nuclear science and in X-ray rooms due to its denseness and high attenuation coefficient.[7] (Because lead effectively absorbs electromagnetic radiation of short wavelengths.)
8. Lead has many uses in the construction industry, lead sheets are used as architectural metals in roofing material, cladding, flashing, gutters and gutter joints, and on roof parapets, but for environmental reasons this use is being phased out in favor of other materials.[8][9]
9. Lead is used in high voltage power cables as sheathing material to prevent water diffusion into insulation, but this use is decreasing as lead is being phased out.[10]

Compounds

1. Lead sulfate and lead dioxide are used in lead-acid batteries.[1]
2. Lead-based coloring agents are used in ceramic glazes and glass, especially for red and yellow shades.[11]
3. Lead tetraacetate and lead dioxide are used as oxidizing agents in organic chemistry.
4. Lead glass is composed of 12–28% lead oxide.[12]
5. Lead-based semiconductors such as lead telluride and lead selenide are used in photovoltaic cells and infrared detectors.[13]

Reference

[1]Potential injuries to regular users of such batteries are not related to lead's toxicity.

[2]Ramage, C. K., ed. (1980). Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook (3rd ed.). Lyman Products Corporation.

[3]Parker, R. B. (2005). The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding: From Lofting to Launching. WoodenBoat Books. ISBN 978-0-937822-89-0.

[4] Jensen, C. F. (2013). Online Location of Faults on AC Cables in Underground Transmission. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-05397-4.

[5] Copper Development Association. "Leaded Coppers". copper.org. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

[6] Guruswamy, S. (2000). Engineering properties and applications of lead alloys. Marcel Dekker. ISBN 978-0-8247-8247-4.

[7] National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (2004). Structural Shielding Design for Medical X-ray Imaging Facilities. ISBN 978-0-929600-83-3.

[8] "Weatherings to Parapets and Cornices". The Lead Sheet Association. Retrieved 20 February 2017.

[9] Rich, V. (1994). The International Lead Trade. Woodhead Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85709-994-5.

[10] Burleson, M. (2001). The Ceramic Glaze Handbook: Materials, Techniques, Formulas. Sterling. ISBN 9781579904395.

[11] Zweifel, H. (2009). Plastics Additives Handbook. Hanser. ISBN 978-3-446-40801-2.

[12] Amstock, J. S. (1997). Handbook of Glass in Construction. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-001619-4.

[13] Rogalski, A. (2010). Infrared Detectors (2nd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-7671-4. Retrieved 19 November 2016.