Discovery

• First use of lead was by the Romans who used lead in their writing tablets and coins
• Scientists believe that lead poisoning also started with the Romans who most likely used lead utensils to prepare their food, thus poisoning them
• Manuscripts of the word “lead” date back to before the 12th century in Rome
• Romans called the element Latin word, “plumbum” which is why the symbol is Pb
• Furnaces made of stone suggest the extraction of lead in the prehistoric era