The Position of Lead in a Challenging World of Modern Technology

THE old appellations of lead-- `enduring metal' and 'inde-structible metal'- were originally meant to signify its excellent corrosion resistance and the endless cycles in which the metal was used, scrapped and re-used. These attributes appear to be even more appropriate in the present day challenging world of modern technology, With the advent of modern metals and synthetic materials, it was feared that lead might go gradually out of usage. On the contrary, the consumption of lead has been steadily increasing from ancient times and does not show any sign of levelling off. However, its growth rate has not been
so spectacular as, for instance, the modern metal aluminium.There have also been numerous inroads into many of the applications of lead , nevertheless, not only the
traditional and relatively old and established uses of
lead are being continued, several new and modern uses
of lead have been invented so that lead will continue
to be used in ever increasing tonnages in the future.