Quote Originally Posted by creeker View Post
Here's where this issue has gotten off base. First, the title of this thread is wrong to the article which changes the point of the thread a complete 180 degrees. If you actually go to the article, you'll see that it is titled, "Ban on Lead Fishing Tackle Should Be Opposed", see the difference?

The second area where this whole issue has gotten off base is that the "lead" they're talking about in paint is not the same lead as in fishing tackle. Because people hear lead in paint and lead in Chinese toys, they automatically assume its the same lead they know about with fishing tackle.

I'm going to try to give everyone a quick and simple chemistry lesson. Here goes...elements such as iron, copper, lead, etc are very stable in metallic form. If you combine them with other elements, you affect the degree of stability. Metallic lead, what sinkers are made of, is very, very stable. If you swallow a sinker, it'll pass through you with no ill effects. It is very resistant to acids.

If you turn it into a compound, such as tetra-ethyl lead (lead from leaded gasoline), as it burns, the tetra-ethyl part is stripped away and you're left with lead molecules that are then free to combine with your body tissues and cause the issues everyone is talking about.

To try to explain it another way, its kind of like mercury. In its metallic form--like what you find in a thermometer, its has the potential to cause issues with tissue. But mix it with the right stuff, and you can safely fill cavities in your teeth (ever had a filling come loose and swallow it?). Lead is the opposite of that.
This is a great post. Thanks for the info. I didn't know that and imagine most others didn't either. Which is why we need to oppose this ban. Please