[Dixielandjazz] Lead in Brass

[Bob Smith]

As a qualified metallurgist (but now retired), I can state that lead is not 
one of the alloying elements in brass. If lead is present it will be a 
contaminant - a so-called 'trace element'. Brass is an alloy of copper and 
zinc, and bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.  It is not recommended to 
ingest either of these, but I find it highly unlikely that either of these 
can cause lead poisoning. Lead is a metal and is, in itself, not poisonous - 
it is the various compounds of lead that cause "lead poisoning" - 'red lead' 
(lead oxide) and 'white lead' (lead carbonate) to name the most common of 
these compounds.
After all, lead piping was used for household water supplies in the old 
days; cf. the old skill of repairing and joining lead piping called "wiping 
a joint".
Until banned, lead was also used as a constituent of priming paints. I 
painted the outside woodwork of the first house I bought in 1956 with a 
leaded primer, and so far I've lived to tell the tale.

Cheers

Bob Smith