Anthropogenic lead loading

Lead occurs in nature as the sulfide, galena, PbS. Lead is more electropositive than mercury, and roasting the sulfide in air forms lead oxide. 

The oxide is then reduced to metal with coke. The impure metal is refined by electrolysis. 

A well-known use of lead is also in the familiar lead-acid storage battery. This device is an example of a storage cell, meaning that the battery can be discharged and recharged over a large number of cycles. The lead-acid battery is familiar as a battery in your car. 

The long-term uses of lead explain why this element should be so widely dispersed in the environment. In this regards one should answer the question as to what is the natural background level of lead. At present this is a question of controversy. Lead 

Similar data reported on the content of lead in meticulously preserved old skeletons contain 0.01-0.001 times as much lead as contemporary skeletons. 

Major anthropogenic sources of lead include the use of Pb as a petrol additive, Pb mining and smelting, printing, Pb paint flakes, sewage sludge and the use of pesticides containing Pb compounds, like lead arsenate. 

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Human activities and the connected water usage lead to a variety of anthropogenic influences on DOM. The many years of careless exposure of rivers and lakes to untreated and not sufficiently treated wastewater from production sites and households have led to a severe load of the aquatic systems with inorganic, organic, and industrially synthesized products. Their effective elimination has turned out to be a high challenge and has become the key for sustainable water management. 

The direct impact of anthropogenic air pollutants on the needles and leaves of plants may cause a variety of damage. High average loads and especially extreme load pikes of SO2 in the winter months, lead to characteristic damage symptoms in the case of spruce. The relative tolerance of trees to SO2 pollution is an intrinsic factor of morphological and physiological defense mech-... 

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