ABSTRACT
The environmental geochemistry of Pb has probably stimulated more scientific interest than all other metallic elements combinedts combined. According to Jaworski [1], “the local, regional, and global biogeochemical cycles of lead have been affected by man to a greater degree than those of any other toxic element”. Why? The main reasons are simple—lead is an extremely useful metal and is relatively simple to work with. Because it melts at a relatively low temperature (327°C), however, it is easily emitted to the atmosphere during smelting and refining. And because it has been used since Antiquity, environmental contamination by Pb is probably as old as civilization itself.
