For thousands of years, people have extracted lead from ores for use in a variety of products. Now, more than half of the lead extracted by humans is used in batteries. Other major uses include semi-finished sheetmetal and pipes, alloys, cable sheathing, additives in gasoline, and other compounds, and ammunition. Lead and people do not belong together, and human society should avoid its use at all costs. For example, historians have tied the decline of the Roman Empire partially to declining intelligence caused by the use of lead in drinking vases and other utensils.
Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead.
Even relatively small amounts of lead can cause permanent lowering of intelligence in children, potentially resulting in reading disorders, psychological disturbances, and mental retardation. Other effects of lead on children include kidney disease, and gouty arthritis. The Decline of Lead Battery Recycling in Industrial Countries Lead batteries and lead battery smelters have been transferring out of industrial countries in recent years, as environmental regulations have tightened and domestic lead prices have dropped. Industry officials in the U.K. are predicting that most lead smelters there will close within the next four years. The surviving lead battery smelters in North America are facing fates similar to those of the U.K. smelters.