From bullets to poison: tales of toxic lead and what makes it so lethal

The metal ’s curious chemistry and propensity to alter enzymes have disfigured royals, killed Romans and gained it notoriety for murdersBullets are dangerous. This may seem like stating the obvious. Of course bullets fired into a body at high velocity are dangerous. But, it turns out that there areother ways that bullets can cause harm, through lead poisoning.In shootings, there are more immediate concerns than the toxic effects of the bullet. That bullets contain lead is also no surprise but it is only recently thata study has looked into bullets as a possible cause of lead poisoning.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Science Chemistry Human biology Source Type: news