• Office of Environmental Health Assessments (OEHA)

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Lead Program Links

• Childhood Lead Program

• Information for Parents and the Public

• Web and Print Resources

• Childhood Lead Screening
 

For more Information, contact Lauren Jenks
1-800-909-9898 (toll free in WA State) or contact your local health department.

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Element

Lead is a metal. Lead is toxic and has no known function in the human body. Once it is absorbed there is no way to destroy it or make it harmless.

Past and Present

Historically, lead was used in house paint and ceramic glazes, gasoline, pesticides, water pipes and many other products. Currently, it is used in lead-acid batteries, fishing weights, marine paint, lead shot, bullets, and in the manufacture of some plastics.

In 1990 the lead-acid battery industry accounted for about 80 percent of the domestic lead consumption. Ammunition, brass and bronze, extruded products, sheet lead, ballast, containers, ceramics, and gasoline additives represented the remaining 20 percent. Recently, the electronic's industry is using more lead in the areas of magnetic imaging, transistors, night vision equipment, and energy generation.