Lead is a natural substance that is relatively easy to extract from ore, and, once extracted, its low-melting temperature makes it easy to work with. It does not rust and is very durable, so its use grew quickly. The Romans found that lead was an ideal substance for their extensive piping system (the word plumbing comes from the Latin word for lead plumbum), because it was easily available and very malleable when heated. Lead was so popular for creating things that it soon became the basic ingredient for coins and pewter dishes and other household artifacts. It was added to face powders, rouges, and mascaras, and chefs for the wealthy used it to halt the fermentation of wine and even used it as a food seasoning.

Though it did not halt their use of it, ancient people noted that those who worked with lead regularly became crazy; they referred to it as lead intoxication. Some modern scholars believe that lead poisoning contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Miners and smelters suffered ill effects from lead exposure, but the wealthy were affected since they were more likely to be exposed to the implements created using lead as well as its use in food preparation.

Mining and smelting of lead was introduced early in the American colonies, and by the 20th century the United States was producing and using more lead than anywhere else in the world. Though countries such as Australia were realizing some of the hazards of lead and were beginning to ban it for certain uses, inventors in Europe and America were looking for even more ways to put lead to use.

In the 1920s, inventors thought of adding lead to gasoline; it boosted the octane levels and reduced the sound of engine-knocking. Unfortunately, as cars burned the gasoline, lead by-products polluted the air. The full impact of the problem occurred at several refineries in the United States during this period. In the summer of 1924, workers at more than one U.S. location where the additive was produced became sick; a total of 15 people died. The following May (1925), the U.S. surgeon general suspended the sale of leaded gasoline and created a panel to study the issue. The committee primarily consisted of industry executives, with one exception: Dr. Alice Hamilton of Harvard whose specialty was work-related health hazards. The committee was given only seven months to conduct their study. In 1926, the committee issued a report indicating that given the length of time they had studied the issue, they did not find sufficient evidence to ban the use of lead as an additive. The authors of the report included a qualifying paragraph noting that if the widespread use of gasoline were studied over a longer period of time, then evidence of the dangers of lead exposure to humans might be revealed. As it was, not enough evidence was found, so in 1927, the surgeon general again permitted lead-based gasoline to be made. However, a voluntary limit of lead content was recommended.

Lead was banned as a gas additive in the 1980s and has not been used in paint in the United States since the 1970s, but elevated lead levels in people remain a problem. Lead continues to be used in many products, including batteries, ammunition, solder, pipes, pottery glazes, printing inks, and paint for industrial, military, and marine use. Lead used in the past does not break down, so lead has contaminated soil in various parts of the country, particularly near major roadways where lead was released in car exhaust and in older neighborhoods where lead paint was used for so long. . .

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