Why is there a "lead" in the paint formulation?

The use of lead in everyday products dates back to ancient Rome. Ancient Romans added lead to cosmetics and added it as an additive to food and wine, tin enamel cutlery and other items, including pigments. Throughout the ancient Roman Empire, this cheap metal was even used in water pipes. Since ancient Rome, people have been using lead. No wonder no one will think about why lead is added to the paint. Why do manufacturers want to add lead as a heavy metal to their pigments? What does it do?

In pigments, different lead compounds are added as pigments, and the color formed depends on which lead compound is added. For example, lead carbonate (also known as white lead) forms white or milky white pigments, while lead trioxide (also known as red dan) forms a bright red pigment.

Lead, a heavy metal additive, also reduces the time it takes for the pigment to dry, making the pigment more durable and moisture resistant. These characteristics of lead make those lead paints ideal for household, metal and even children's toy coatings.

Of course, although lead paints are very durable, their biggest drawback is lead. Exposure to heavy metals can cause many health problems in the human body. Excessive levels of lead in the human body can cause convulsions, coma, and death. If trace amounts of lead in the human body can also cause damage to the nervous system, brain, blood cells, and kidneys. Infants and children are most susceptible to lead poisoning, which can impede their physical and mental development, cause behavioral problems and low IQ.

In view of the above, the US government banned the use of most lead paint in 1978. However, lead paint can still be used when decorating a house, but the US government requires that the lead content of household lead paint must be less than nine hundred thousandths. Lead paint was popular before 1978, so lead paint was used in many homes built before that. What the US Environmental Protection Agency does not specify is that intact lead paint does not pose a hazard. Only when these lead paints are damaged (such as peeling off, being wiped off, or during renovation), the lead dust it produces will cause damage to people's bodies.