As elements on the periodic table go, lead is pretty handy.
It's not exactly oxygen or nitrogen but it has some admirable qualities.
Like it's heavy, but soft and malleable.
In the form of lead dioxide it's highly conductive which makes it useful in batteries and it's so incredibly dense that it's great at blocking out things like ionizing radiation.
Lead is good for all sorts of things.
But it is also poisonous, really very poisonous.
And for the last 5, 000 years or so humanity has been so enamored of all of its wonderful traits that we've been killing ourselves with it.
When inhaled or ingested, lead is readily absorbed into the blood, where it can slow down the transport of oxygen and eventually build up in your kidneys, brain, liver, heart, and especially bones and teeth.
Once it's in the body, lead not only displaces metals you actually need, like calcium iron and zinc, but it's excellent at blocking receptors for glutamate, the most important neurotransmitter for normal brain function and learning.
Lead poisoning can affect nerve transmission to the brain and cause abdominal pain, anemia, and the loss of developmental skills in children.
